It’s understandable why many candidates are skeptical about disclosing certain information to recruiters they don’t know, especially information about their current compensation. When recruiters reach out to passive candidates, they often reach out to people who have never worked with a recruiter before and have never heard of them or their company. The recruiter then has to earn the candidate’s trust during this short initial phone call in order to get honest answers to their qualifying questions.
Even so, there is actually more harm in not telling a recruiter your salary expectations than it is to be open and honest upfront. There are three reasons why it’s more beneficial to both you and the recruiter if you are open about your future salary requirements.
Streamline The Hiring Process
When recruiters are considering potential candidates for a position, they need to know the candidate’s salary requirements to see if they are a fit for the position. If it is way over or under, then the candidate is out of consideration. For example, say a candidate is making $75k a year and a recruiter has reached out to them about a position that offers $60k a year. If the candidate reveals their salary requirements early in the conversation, the recruiter will know immediately that they won’t fit the position. If they refuse to reveal their requirements, they are wasting their time and the recruiter’s time.
Keep Yourself in Consideration
Recruiters often talk to hundreds of candidates a week about an open position. They ask many similar questions in the initial qualifying phone calls to quickly see if a candidate could be a potential match. During this time, candidates often have to reveal how much they’re making or would be comfortable making in a new role. If a candidate decides that it’s too early in the process to talk about this information, then there is a good chance the recruiter will move on to another candidate who will reveal their compensation requirements. There are too many candidates and not enough time for recruiters to wait around until candidates are comfortable answering the question. If you’re interested in a position, I would suggest answering the recruiter’s questions quickly and honestly.
Many people believe recruiters ask about compensation to trick them into accepting a very low salary. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Recruiters work with candidates and clients to find the perfect match. If you reveal your salary requirements in the beginning, the recruiter can leverage this information and fight for you early on. However, if you don’t tell the recruiter your requirements, then the client may make a job offer for a salary that you’re not comfortable with.
The candidate needs to approach negotiations as a win-win scenario, which often involves the disclosure of each side’s needs and desires. As long as a candidate is being realistic, it doesn’t hurt for them to share their earnings. Withholding this information may actually hurt them in the end.
