Isabella Abbott | Features Editor
As a senior in college trying to find a full-time job after graduation, the most frustrating thing is not seeing a salary listed under a job post. That’s one of the first things I’m looking for after qualifications and job responsibilities.
Money talks. I’ve been working over a quarter of my life. I’ve had jobs starting at $10 an hour up to a little less than $20 an hour just a couple of years later due to Connecticut’s state minimum wage increases.
Coming to Pittsburgh at 19 years old and seeing a minimum wage of $7.25 already worried me about a full-time position after college if I were to stay in the city.
The last thing I’d want is not to see a salary listed and apply for a full-time job paying less than what I was paid hourly at Target.
After pursuing higher education for four years, I hope to find a job to help pay off student loans and keep a stable income. But how can I start a plan to save money if I don’t know the salary from a job listing?
I cannot.
According to LinkedIn, in December 2022 an Omnibus Survey of nearly 1,200 English-speaking U.S.-based LinkedIn members found that 91% of respondents said seeing the salary range on a job post affects their decision to apply.
Salary on the job post doesn’t only affect the person applying but also allows the employer more candidates to choose from, making their pool larger and potentially stronger.
Do employers want their candidates to guess a salary range and drop out of an application after figuring it out? I don’t think so.
Employers also don’t want more resumes that’ll be saved in their system for future use if those resumes don’t get the job. They should want to showcase their open positions to worthy candidates who agree with the salary range listed. Not the ones who apply and then find out during their first interview.
Heading into an interview not knowing the salary can lead to an uncomfortable or difficult conversation during the interview as well. No candidate wants to ask the question and debate the salary answer.
Although sometimes not having the salary range can allow the candidate to help decide what they should get paid. This is a fine tactic, as long as a pay range is mentioned before the applicant has spent a lot of time applying for the position.
Transparency is the key when it comes to filling a position.
Candidates want to know their responsibilities, how much they’ll get paid, and if they can ace the interview to get the job. Why make them stress over how much they’ll be paid before even heading into the nerve-wracking interview process?
If jobs can find a way to list paragraphs upon paragraphs of all the responsibilities needed, then they should be able to find a range of pay for their candidates to view before even applying.