To wonder why the fuck they don't seem to advertise salary ranges on jobs anymore?

[MTBMummy]

Basically that, it's really annoying you see a job you like, you apply, they really like your CV (yay!). You then get invited to interview and then you find they're offering a salary way below the market rate, and even with negotiation they won't come up to anywhere near what you need.

As most of the jobs I apply for are London based a face to face interview means either my DP has to take a day off work to look after the kids, or we have to pay for a child minder for 2 kids, as after the travel there and back and the interview its self it's about 6 hours out of my day.

If you ask, you get told they won't discuss it until interview as it's based on experience, it's so frustrating!

I agree and most of the time I don't bother applying unless I know it is an employer that will pay me what I'm worth/the salary range is on the advert. I also think employers are expecting far more for their money these days as well, it sucks!

Ageed OP. And I tell you what is almost as annoying - maybe as annoying; companies who advertise jobs without the amount of hours the job has. (Probably because they're mostly zero hours contracts! )

My DH applied for a job at a big supermarket chain last year as he is bored of his job, and he spent an hour filling out the application, and then went for an interview (it was a 20 mile round trip, and took the whole morning up,) only to discover that the 'contract' was for 12 hours a week. How the hell is a grown man with a family supposed to live on 12 hours a week pay?

It's not the first time he has applied for a job that has turned out to be 8, 10, or 12 hours a week. Needless to say he is still in his old boring job. It's old and boring, but at least it's full time, and pays reasonably well!

Just wanted to add, he did ask this supermarket how many hours it was, as he needs full time, and the woman he asked said 'oh, I'm sure it's over 30 hours!'

Liar liar, pants on fire.

I think it's to give them some flexibility - so if they meet someone they really want they can negotiate up/down accordingly. I think most people only apply to jobs/companies where they've done a bit of research already - so for example I know banking regulators, no matter the job you applying for, will always try to negotiate down from your current salary, whereas an investment bank will often give you a whopping increase to guarantee your acceptance.

sunandmoonshine her saying "I'm sure it's over 30 hours" is all well and good until the overtime bans come in and at our store they do regularly. I know someone on a 16 hr contract who regularly works over 40 hrs for weeks on end then there is a ban on overtime, sometimes for a couple of months, and he has to manage on his 16hr a week wages.

Agreed. I often find part time jobs don't give the hours either so you have no way of telling if it's worth applying and means you have to ring.

Ive noticed this recently. My Dh (ch Insp) has just retired form the police force and is looking for work that will equal his pay in the met.

He has applied for jobs that he really has no idea if they will pay 50K or 80K+.

I do also think wages are not being paid in accordance with the work expected. They really want their pound of flesh from you.

Because they're hoping to get away with paying you as little as possible. Why advertise they'll pay £40k if you'd start at £35k
The industry I'm in used to advertise salaries because there was a supply/demand issue but as soon as that changed wages were no longer mentioned in the hope they could screw you down as low as possible.
Race to the bottom.

I agree it's frustrating. I recruit and we have started always making the hours and hourly rate absolutely clear otherwise we get lots of enquiries and people applying who then pull out when they find out that the pay or hours don't match what they are looking for.

Since we have been much clearer, we waste a lot less time and get more suitable applicants.

I used to work somewhere where we didn't advertise salaries, one person was offered a job and scoffed at the salary (she was right too) and told us in no uncertain terms that we had wasted her time and our own.

Think it's because they only want you to apply if you want the job sooooooo very much you don't care what the salary is. Forgetting that (no matter how much we might love our career / job and enjoy going to work) ultimately the reason we do work is for the salary!

I'm so glad I'm not alone in this, it's doing my head in!

I do a fairly senior, specialist role, typically based in London, and I had to recruit for a few extras for my team not so long ago, so I know what the rates should be, but you go through the process and companies are coming back with offers in some cases as low as 50% of what the market is paying, I mean really, and then they ask me to write good reviews on glass door and linkedin about their process and cant understand when I decline. FFS

When they ask your salary requirements 😒 and you're stuck between needing the job so not wanting to be undercut but also needing a fair wage ....

I hate this too. I know what a decent salary is in my line of work. And it is specialist so I can't always tell if you are one of the firms that pay decently. So where I work I think some roles are paid quite low, but mine isn't. So research does not always tell you anything.
Just put the bloody salary scale and hours on the advert. I don't apply to a job that does not have this, because previous experience shows they usually pay less than the firms that pay the best.

Add to the fact that the recruitment agencies sell your email address. I had that email address for 16 years before I moved to Britain and never got more than max. 4 spammails a year. Then I started applying for jobs in Britain and now get 50 spammails a day despite always making sure I haven't ticked the box saying that they get to send you "interesting material". Also three days after I got a British mobile number someone called first on my landline and then on my mobile to ask when I would pay for the clothes I had received. I had not ordered any clothes and managed to establish that the clothes had been delivered to an address in another town to someone with another surname. Phew. I was worried a collection agency would be outside the door next. Only 5 recruitment agencies/homepages had my mobile number.

I think it's all about enabling employers to pay as little as possible. They know most people in Britain are not encouraged, confident, or empowered enough to negotiate upwards in a time of what is, whatever rubbish the government stats say, a time of poor employment prospects. It enables exploitation and inequality, as does the rest of this 'consumer beware' culture with light regulation and zero enforcement.

I don't like it when it says salary is £xxxx pro rata for x hours but don't say how many hours full time is - one time fully time was 45 hours a week so the pro data pay for advertised hours was terrible - but only found that out when offered job!

Agreed ive taken a big paycut to work closer to home but I didnt find out until I was offered the job what the pay was.. I wouldnt have applied if id have known.. When they offered me the job the option of being so close to home was too appealing !

I've stopped applying for jobs that don't state a salary now as it just wastes both my time and theirs. On some occasions where I have gone to an interview for one of these jobs and stated the salary I'm looking for, I've been given the 'death stare' and treated as if I'm being totally unreasonable. I'm not. I know the market and what I'm worth. And if you think my salary requirements are so unreasonable well - if you'd stated your available salary range, I wouldn't have applied.

As a pp said, it's our livelihood, not a game.

The way jobs are advertised tells me a lot about an employer. Stating a salary range and the number of hours required tells me that you may be a reasonable employer to work for. Giving as little information as possible in the hope of knocking me down to paying as little as you can get away with, not so much.

If asked for an interview, I always ask them for the salary range before confirming if I am interested and have never been refused this request - so I have never found this a massive problem to be honest. You just need to be assertive enough to ask before confirming your interview.

I hate the fact that the jobs don't state if they are full or part time until you apply. I don't want to work fewer hours than I already am, but everything appears in job sites as full time, even if they are not. highly frustrating.

I've seen jobs asvertised as paying 'above nmw' which in reality is only 1p per hour above nmw. I've also seen 'competative salary' but its just the nmw which is NOT competative.

Having children I need to know the working hours as my childcare finishes at 5.15pm with no exceptions. If I fail to collect on time they wont take my children again.

The number of companies no longer working 9-5pm astounds me. More than 75% of all jobs I've looked at work 8.30am-5.30pm. I cannot finish work that late but I often have to get to interview before anyone will tell me the hours. Thats a complete waste of everyone's time.

I cannot change my circumstances so why on earth they dont just be honest and tell me before I've spent hours filling out forms and driving 20 miles.

Businesses are trying to get intelligent hardworking staff for a pittance. Wages have been kept low with the nmw being brought in. They dont need to be competitive with salaries anymore because they're only required to pay nmw.

Our company says 'competitive salary' which until recently has been a blatant lie. Then they did an industry-wide benchmarking exercise and I personally got a 25% salary increase! A lot of people got similar increases. Just goes to show how underpaid we were. Maybe they'll start advertising the salary range now.

I'm a Senior Recruitment Consultant and the roles I do are temporary so probably different to what you're talking about. I don't advertise salaries on job boards because if it's a random number (£7.83 for example) sometimes other agencies can work out the company and basically harass them for business so it's to help the client.

However on the first phone call with a candidate I'd give the the salary, holidays, everything to be completely honest. I just don't want it advertised online that's all.

If asked for an interview, I always ask them for the salary range before confirming if I am interested and have never been refused

I've not been that fortunate, sadly. When I've asked that question responses have varied from 'competetive' to downright untruths which later do not materialise at interview.

As I said before, employers who are anything less than honest and open about their expectations make me wonder about what kind of employer they are.

Same applies to contract work; there's no reason not to state a salary range.