“I Wish My Recruiter Knew…”: Salary Info

Welcome to our newest post in our “I wish my recruiter knew” series…

We polled our clients, candidates and social media followers, asking them to answer a question that most search firms don’t dare ask-- what’s on their minds!

A candidate says:

“…that we are not always comfortable giving you our salary info.”

A recruiter responds:

“From my perspective, it’s hard to see why a job candidate would not want to discuss their salary. But to gain better insight, I talked with some candidates I’ve worked with. The main reasons we came up with are:

1) Candidates are worried that we [recruiters] will limit the scope of potential job opportunities.

2) Candidates are worried/embarrassed that they make too much/too little, etc., and they don’t want that information to get out.

3) Candidates are worried about identity/security breaches.

So let’s break each one of these down:

Worry #1: The major function and benefit to our candidates is to be their career coaches. We evaluate their needs, wants, pains, and help them find a better situation. In order to do this, salary comes into play.

It is of no benefit to a candidate to expose them to opportunities where the salary is grossly under or over their desired or current income. It is the intent of recruiters to really zero in on the opportunities that match a job seeker’s skillset and experience…Of course the more money they make, the better for all!  

Worry #2:  This is one of the exact reasons you should tell a recruiter your salary! You may think you are making above or below the industry standard, but how do you know for sure? Recruiters are the best free market research tools you will find… We know the salary ranges for the jobs and industries we specialize in, since we talk to the people working and hiring in these fields all day long.

If you are making under the salary you should be at, a recruiter is the one who will tell you, and help find a position where you can make a more competitive salary. On the flip side, if you are making over the industry standard, we’ll give you a heads up on that too! (For example: “Dude, you’ve got a SWEET deal, stay put!”)

NOTE: Decreasing discriminative practices by employers is why President Obama and his administration are legally opening the discussion on salary (read more).

Worry #3: This concern is probably the most valid, in my mind. Living in an age of growing phishing attacks, identity breaches and more, security is a real concern. However, these risks can often be easily mitigated, and are often over-exaggerated.

The first step in protecting yourself is to know your recruiter and where he/she is sending your information. You can learn a lot about the recruiter/firm by looking at their website, LinkedIn profile, etc…Also keep in mind that a good recruiter will only send your info to a company upon YOUR approval.

In the end, recruiters get paid based on the money they get you. So work WITH us, not against us when it comes to disclosing personal details, such as salary.”

If you have any questions or comments feel free to comment on myLinkedin page, or send me an email at [email protected]

-Jon