Why Posting Salaries in a Job Description Helps Attract the Best Candidates

Think of it like this. You’re shopping, and you see something you’re interested in buying. Unfortunately, it has no price tag. You look around for someone to ask but there are no salespeople in sight. How frustrating is that? A few of us might wait around until someone emerges, but most of us will just put the item back and move on with our lives. This is the way that some candidates look at job descriptions, and it's especially true for those who are highly qualified.

Besides reasons related to equity and transparency, posting a salary range in a job description isn’t just helpful. It actually helps you to attract the best candidates. Over the course of my career, I’ve gotten to know to a lot of highly qualified and experienced non-profit executives. Some of them are masters in their field. They have extensive experience with fundraising, management, direct services, etc. And almost all of them mentioned that they wouldn’t even consider applying for a job if it didn’t list a salary range. Their reasons included concerns that the salary will be too low, that the non-profit doesn’t understand how expensive it is to live in the Bay Area, that the organization must be stingy with funds, or worse - doesn’t understand that the lack of salary transparency contributes to inequity.

I get it. Most non-profits have a limited budget for certain positions. And it rings true that the salary will be commensurate with experience - those with more work experience and/or lived experiences will probably get a higher salary than those without. But the key here is that organizations have a budget. They know how much they can afford to pay someone. And without disclosing that information, they might just be losing out on the best candidates who don’t have the time to apply for a position just to find out during the last round of interviews (or even worse - when they receive the job offer), that they can’t afford to work at that salary range. When that happens, all parties are disappointed. The candidate rejects the offer, and the non-profit has to start the hiring process all over again.

The best candidates spend a lot of time working on their job applications. They tailor their resumes and cover letters to fit the job. They don’t blindly send form letters to prospective employers. They look through LinkedIn to see who else they know works at the organization. They research the organizational work culture and how employees are valued. And unless they’re able to find information on salaries via sites like Glassdoor, they might not even apply.

So for those of you who are at non-profits that are already posting salary ranges - that’s awesome! Keep it up, you wonderful unicorns. But for the rest of you, consider who you might be able to attract. Who are you missing out on? And how is that affecting the potential impact that your organization could be making?

If you’re currently at a non-profit organization and are looking to build your skills in salary negotiation, join my free workshop on Friday, December 13th in Oakland.