LET’S ALL WASTE SOME TIME: THE INSANITY OF THE SALARY TABOO

“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.” - Theophrastus

The Greek philosopher was undoubtedly correct when he stressed the value of time, but it seems many HR departments worldwide didn’t get the memo. Okay, I warn you here, this is going to verge on a rant - but, I’ll try and keep it civil and reasoned. You see, I’ve just had to take the unpleasant step of shutting down an interview within five minutes, after discovering the company wasn’t going to offer a salary I’d accept. Ouch. That should never happen. It makes everyone feel uncomfortable no matter how respectfully you do it.

Despite the critical importance of salary for most jobs, HR people still seem put out when you want a salary range (notice I said range) before investing time sitting through their lengthy presentations and cringy questions. Indeed, wanting to know one of the most fundamental qualities of a job, before heaping praise on their company and telling them why it's always been your lifelong ambition to work there, seems to insult them. Maybe it's because they were up all night putting the finishing touches to their presentations.

Anyway, I can already hear all the usual protests from recruiters and HR people - how they can’t possibly give a salary because it depends on the specific candidate and all that blurb. Sure, things do, to an extent, depend on the candidate. But, that is entirely why it is reasonable to ask for a salary range, not a specific salary.

Think about it like this; you’re in the market for a new car. You’ve checked your bank balance, and know how much you can afford to spend. Now, you’ve probably got some specific cars in mind, right? But, if you’re in the market for a Ford, you likely won’t stroll into a Lamborghini showroom, and vice versa. Within the Ford showroom, you’ll find everything from a Fiesta to a Mustang - and there’ll be a significant price difference! But, even if you’re looking at stretching to a Mustang, you’re still far from Lamborghini territory.

This analogy applies particularly well to the roles I’m applying for; i.e. copywriter/content writer/editor. These days, many of these roles are remote and positions are open to people globally, or at least within specific time zones. Now, I’m located in Malta - which means pretty much all of Europe and the Middle East fall into my catchment area. So, it's not surprising that I’ve found companies offering anything from €20K to €75K, for essentially similar roles (or at least similar as far as job descriptions go). Add in freelance opportunities, and roles that are available if I want to keep anti-social hours, and things get even more interesting!

As I said, it's the car dealership analogy. Basic information, like price/salary range, is absolutely fundamental to know whether to proceed with an application process. Absolutely fundamental. Yes, I am aware, there are other jobs where this may not be the case - like if you’re a teacher, civil servant, or doctor in a specific field in a particular locality. Then you will have pretty good benchmarks to go by anyway. But, for positions in content, marketing, and similar, a salary range should be a prerequisite for any job posting.

In writing this, I’ve probably annoyed more than a few HR people and recruiters - which likely isn’t the best thing to do when looking for a new job - but, I promise you, I only have the best intentions; i.e. to save everyone’s time, and avoid awkward moments. If I'm impressed by your business, I’m confident I can do the role well, and you’re offering an attractive salary, I can assure you I’ll wax lyrical about how it’s my ambition to join your team. But, until I have a fair idea of what you're willing to pay for my skills, I'm not going to tell you "why I want to join" your company.