Why Transparency Matters in Job Listings

This past week alone I came across over 15 exciting museum jobs on LinkedIn I couldn’t share because they didn’t list a salary. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: “No salary, no application.” “Not worth my time to apply, even if I can check tax documents… chances are if they aren’t willing to post it, it isn’t competitive.” “I look for the salary before I read anything else. Why waste my own time?” “My first impression if they do not list a salary is that the position must not pay very well. This usually deters me from applying.” 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗷𝗼𝗯. “My first impression? The position must not pay very well.” “I refuse to share the job announcement within my networks (virtual or otherwise). It says to me that the employer is out of touch.” “I’ve gotten less picky after 6 months of job searching...but the sites that post salary tend to be more responsive. The others? They ghost.” “I applied once for a role I was excited about—then turned down the offer because the pay was insultingly low.” 𝗜𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲: “I, generally, see this as a potential red flag. If they are not transparent in the job description, will they be transparent when you're working for them?” “It’s a red flag. Museums that don’t post salaries are wasting people’s time—or trying to chisel applicants.” "In the end, I do not apply to positions that don’t post a salary. That tells me you’re not transparent as an organization, whether it be compensation or elsewhere” “If it's on LinkedIn I will sometimes comment on the post and ask what the salary is. Their response (or lack thereof) often tells me a lot about how they operate as an organization and whether I would consider working for/with them.” “If I come across organizations where they are selectively choosing which roles have public information, I will avoid any applications there.” And in many places, it’s not just a bad look, it’s illegal. States with salary transparency laws include: AL, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NJ, NY, NC, OR, PA, PR, RI, VT, VA, WA, WI. Cities too: Atlanta, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New Orleans, and beyond. So my question is: Why is your organization still doing this? It’s actively harming your reputation, limiting your applicant pool, and contributing to long-standing inequities in the field. It’s 2025. Be better.

"We don't post salary ranges because we want to see if candidates are truly interested in the role." 🙄 ... A hiring manager told me this last month. I almost laughed. Here's what actually happened when they finally started posting ranges: Without salary ranges: ▶️ 100+ applications per posting ▶️ 95% completely unqualified ▶️ First question in every phone screen: "What's the salary?" ▶️ 60% of candidates dropped out after learning the range With salary ranges posted: ▶️ 40 applications per posting ▶️ 63% qualified candidates ▶️ Phone screens focused on actual job content ▶️ 7% dropout rate after initial conversations But here's the real kicker... The candidate they ultimately hired said:  "I wouldn't have applied without seeing the range. I was happy at my current job, but your salary range made me realize I was being underpaid." 😮 They got a passive candidate who wasn't even job hunting. The truth? Hiding salary ranges doesn't attract people who "truly want the role." It attracts people who are desperate enough to apply blindly. The best candidates - the ones with options - won't waste their time on mystery compensation. Salary transparency isn't about being "candidate-friendly." It's about being efficient. #salarytransparency #hiring #recruitment #jobpostings

CEO: "We can't post salary ranges in our job listings!" 💰 Me: "Why not?" CEO: "Then people would know how much we pay!" Me: "And that's... bad?" CEO: "Of course! We need to keep our options open for negotiation." Me: "You mean you want candidates to waste hours applying and interviewing before finding out the role pays two-thirds of what they need?" CEO: "It's about finding someone passionate about the role, not the money!" Me: "So passionate they'll work for any amount? That's not passion, that's desperation." CEO: "But what if we post a range and someone expects the top end?!" Me: "Then... don't hire them if they're not worth it? You still make the final decision." Here's why posting salary ranges HELPS your company: 1️⃣ It attracts candidates who are actually in your budget 2️⃣ It repels those who would reject your offer anyway 3️⃣ It demonstrates transparency and respect for candidates' time 4️⃣ It gets you to meaningful negotiations faster 5️⃣ It helps set proper expectations from the start Posting salary ranges doesn't remove any control you already have as a hiring manager. It simply gets both sides to a better negotiation point sooner. The most valuable resource in recruiting isn't money—it's time. Stop wasting everyone's. Get to the point faster and with more transparency. That's why I always list the salary range for job openings I'm hiring for. The quality of applicants has improved, our time-to-hire has decreased, and both sides start with clear expectations. Life is better with clarity, honesty, and transparency. Work is part of life. As always, Stay humble. Hang tough. Paul Tucker #SalaryTransparency #RecruitingTips #HiringBest #JobSearch #LinkedInAdvice #hiring

If You Can’t Share the Pay, Don’t Post the Job! 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛! Here’s why pay transparency matters: ↳It helps align financial expectations upfront. ↳ It prevents wasted time for candidates and recruiters. ↳And honestly, it’s just the RIGHT thing to do. As a Recruiter, I firmly believe in open and transparent conversations about pay: ↳ I include compensation details in job descriptions. ↳I mention compensation in phone screen invites. ↳ I discuss compensation within the first 3 minutes of my screening calls. Why? Because expectations and circumstances can change, and clarity is key. Pay transparency is more than just a nice-to-have, it’s essential for building trust, saving time, and creating better experiences for both candidates and employers. Let’s normalize transparency!

Let's make 2025 the year of #transparency. One thing I have noticed about the job market over the last year is that we are still in muddy waters of what companies are required to disclose on job postings. Some states have passed laws requiring pay transparency, but it is hardly the norm. For squishier details - like job descriptions and qualifications - it is tougher to codify. What we can do, however, is push companies and job sites to get hiring managers and talent acquisition departments to think more critically about what really is or is not needed in a JD. 💡 Here are my thoughts for what I want to see become more transparent this year: 💎 Pay 👉🏻 You know what you are willing to pay, so just post it. It saves everyone time, anxiety, and works to eliminate wage gaps between groups. Saying "it depends" is ridiculous and leads to an unproductive game of chicken that can sour the process for everyone. Just post the dang *actual* salary range! (And not something silly like $100-$800K.) LinkedIn I strongly believe you should make this field mandatory for all job postings. 💎 Location 👉🏻 Companies are doing better on this front, but with some workplaces moving to more in office schedules, clarity on where work needs to be done is more important than ever. If your job is actually 100% remote, list it as remote. If there is *any* in-office requirement, list it as hybrid, not remote. If it is 4 or more days in office, put on-site. I've seen some roles listed as remote but if you happen to live near an office, you are required to come in. That is just false advertising - there should not be an exception just due to geography for remote roles. 💎 Actual Requirements 👉🏻 Most job postings are rife with "nice to haves" that lead to applicants opting out of even applying. If a qualification is not absolutely required for a job, don't post it! And don't make your "Preferred Qualifications" be longer than the JD itself. If you are looking for a Purple Squirrel, then be prepared to hunt for a long time for that elusive candidate. 💎 PTO Policy 👉🏻 Unlimited vacation is not a real thing, say what your actual policy is. Unlimited is never meted out fairly, so put your vacation minimum, not maximum. Let job seekers make fully informed decisions about what they are signing up for before they go through the effort of applying. Have some cool benefits? Highlight those, too! We want to know exactly we should or should not pick your company. What would you like to see change in the way companies search for candidates? (I made this very mediocre attempt at an #AI image with my new Apple iPhone using Playground. Need to better hone those skills!) #2025trends #jobmarket #paytransparency #payequity #payequality #careergrowth #talentacquisition #hiring #hiringtrends #remotework #rto #pto