(Don't) Put the Salary in the Job Description
and other job search takes
The job search is fraught, for everyone, at least in the beginning, it only matters in degree. Start the clip below at 1:15.
The process is, at-best, flawed, overdetermined, highly-random, often subjective. At worst, it’s illegal, regressive, time-wasting, and soul-crushing.
Along the soul-crushing path, you’ll hear a common refrain PUT THE SALARY IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION!!!
The reasons are plenty: salary transparency can save candidates time, signal transparency/goodwill, help combat pay inequality, increase competition, etc. One can make the case that these reasons are good both for employees and employers.
There are, however, good reasons to withhold it, that should not necessarily signal to employees that the organization is dealing in bad faith.
First, think of times where it might not be in your best interest to disclose your “bottom line” in everyday life. They may not even be in high stakes situations! It would be radical to suggest that these choices are always and only deceptive. You may actually have a different price range or secondary objectives that make little prudent sense to disclose on the outset.
Second, it’s not *that* hard to sleuth out what or where a company compensates for many roles. If you wanted to know, you could find out, in probably less than 30 minutes.
Third, and this is the point I think is the most underdiscussed, at some point you want to be moving away from purely transactional conversations in employment. The goal is the bespoke career: you have role(s) that only you can hold dominating or contributing in ways only you can. This is the reason Ryan Gosling does not have to audition anymore.
Most of us aren’t there yet, but one of the ways you can *train* for that, is to be less concerned with how job description is written, and more with what the job actually is and how well you will be able to contribute in it. Note: this might not have very much to do with the job description at all.
Most of the job search relies on outward facing websites, posts, HR. etc. Let’s think of this as FRONT DOOR. It’s easy to find, but there’s a line, and a host(ess) to seat everyone accordingly. One day, you’d like to walk in the front door, go to the front of the line, and be sat immediately. One day! But that’s not today.
So go through the BACK DOOR1. Take the coffees, happy hours, quick zooms, lunches, and whatnots with people adjacent to roles you are considering. No "awe gee shucks got any time to let me pick your brain i'm VERY available" instead try "Do you have 15 minutes to Zoom about INSERT SINCERE QUESTION I HAVE" because I am INSERT SINCERE PROBLEM and could use your guidance". And then you wrap up the conversation in 15 minutes. Is there a follow up lunch? Maybe! Suggest it, and signal what you plan to talk about it. Why ask them sincere, interesting questions about their position? Do it and then I'll tell you what will happen in the last 15 minutes, maybe earlier. They will tire of talk about themselves and now want to hear about you, and this is where you talk about the types of problems you want to solve and the point of view you bring.
This is what a job search looks like. Call it networking (gag) or a preinterview (gross). It’s an active, human pursuit of problem solving. You are a serious person looking to work with serious people and if there is a long line at the front door, you will find and go in the back door.
The salary and the job description are front door. You are building a career! You do not need an employer to tell you, though it would be nice and, for many entry and mid-level positions, they should post. But you could also choose flexibility and optionality. What you get with a range is also a ceiling and floor, and if you’re honest, do you want *either* of those when it comes to salary long term? Choose it now as a mindset.
But no one will care more about your career than you and you should not expect them to. But if you care about it, then you should expect yourself to do what is needed to design the outcome you seek.
This includes practicing interview answers. They should be 30 seconds or less. If that at all seems like too little of a time, think about the time it takes for your mind to wander talking to people you already know and love, let alone a stranger. If you are going over a minute the hiring team is thinking about lunch. You should run through them quickly, to get to your questions and unstructured time talking about the role. Your questions should be good and clever but never cute.
You can and should be regularly using AI to improve your resume, practice your interview, refine your cover letter, or consult on your brand. You could ask GPT2 to find areas in your resume that would be considered liabilities for roles. You could record your answer to a common interview question, copy and paste the transcript, and GPT to coach you on improving your answer3. Google is out as is the trash advice on TikTok. Quora/reddit is better if you can find someone who has or had the role you seek.
And most underrated is you having established your credits and knowing whether or not you are seen as difficult in the workplace. 80% of the search is this, and you can only optimize the other 20% in the short term. This could be you being a jerk or incompetent or, the worst, both4. It's easy to get defensive here, but if you can't admit that you have been one, at least admit that you have been perceived as such, fairly or not. I started watching SURVIVOR during cold and flu season and one thing became apparent: social dynamics matter as much or more than gameplay, depending on the situation.
The goal is that you get a point in your career and there is as little friction as possible between the professional you are the role(s) you have, like a well-tailored suit. For this reason, salary and job description are but a few measurements that are overdiscussed, because they are quick proxies for status among our networks, friends, and family. But you could play a different game, more intentional, better calibrated, with a more robust outcome for your vocation.
This tracking shot never gets old
This is what GPT-4 thinks of this article: The blog post discusses the flaws in the job search process and emphasizes the importance of moving beyond salary-focused job descriptions. The author argues that salary transparency has its benefits but also reasons for withholding it that do not necessarily indicate bad faith from employers. They suggest focusing on the actual job and one's ability to contribute to it, rather than obsessing over job descriptions.
The author encourages job seekers to take an active, human approach to job searching, which they call "going through the back door." This entails networking and engaging in conversations with people in or adjacent to desired roles, demonstrating sincerity and a problem-solving attitude.
The blog post also touches on the importance of concise interview answers and leveraging AI technology to improve job search materials, while highlighting the significance of understanding one's social dynamics in the workplace.
Critique: The blog post offers valuable insights on shifting the focus from purely transactional aspects of job searching to a more personal, problem-solving, and growth-oriented mindset. However, it could have been more balanced by acknowledging that salary transparency can still play a significant role in ensuring fairness and reducing pay inequalities. Additionally, the post could have explored more practical steps for job seekers to follow in order to adopt the mindset and approach it advocates.
Tell me about yourself? The answer has 3 parts. 1)Quick bio 2) Previous roles and responsibilities and 3) why I applied for *this* position. In 30 seconds. Practice it. It’s coming. Why aren’t you practicing?
From the Harvard Business Review