From the hiring desk
Post the Salary. You'll Get Better People.
There's a line in your job post that's costing you candidates, and it's the one you left out.
The salary.
SHRM asked employers who list pay ranges what happened. Seventy percent said it brought them more applicants. Sixty-five percent said it made them more competitive.
Now flip it. What does "competitive pay, depends on experience" tell a candidate? Nothing - except that you might be hiding a low number.
Why owners hide the number
Usually one of three reasons. You don't want current employees comparing. You don't want competitors to know. Or you want room to negotiate.
All three protect you. None of them fills the seat.
What hiding it actually costs
The good ones scroll past. A candidate with options doesn't apply to mysteries. They apply where the math already works.
You interview the wrong band. Three rounds in, you learn they need $20K more than the job pays. That's your week, gone.
You open with a secret. The first thing they learn about working for you is that you hold back information. Great first impression.
But my range is wide
Fine. Post the range. "$65K to $85K depending on experience" is honest, and it filters.
What doesn't work is a range so wide it's a joke. $50K to $150K tells them you don't know what the job is. Pick the band the role actually pays and own it.
The uncomfortable part
If you're scared to post the number, the problem usually isn't the posting.
It's the number.
A pay range you're proud of is a recruiting tool. A pay range you're hiding is a candidate who took the job down the road.
Comp is part of the match. I tell owners when the number is the reason the seat's empty - and I don't send candidates into mysteries. Every placement backed by a replacement guarantee. If a role keeps stalling, let's talk.