Should I continue interviewing without knowing the salary package?

[WatieKatie]

I have recently been approached by a competitor who are interested in hiring me. They came to me directly on LinkedIn after being recommended by a previous manager.

Currently I’m happy in my role, my team are lovely and I’m highly thought of, however I am office based two days a week which is a 6 hr commute. That is the only downside.

I had an initial meeting to hear more about the role. It’s very much a sideways step, and a narrower role, however it’s entirely home based. They were reluctant to disclose the package.

They want to take things forward to a formal interview whereby I undertake a presentation. I’m happy to do this but don’t want to waste my time if they are paying similar or less than my current role. I replied and asked if they could outline the package and they said it would be discussed at a later date when I meet with HR.

I don’t understand why they cannot be open and feel frustrated. Anyone else been in this situation and any suggestions on what I do next?

TIA

ask them.

You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. I have been through a few rounds of interviews lately, and i have always asked the salary and benefits before i agree to a 2nd interview.

If they tell you and you like it, carry on.
If they tell you and you don't like it, stay where you are.

If they won't tell you or are evasive - tell them that's not acceptable and no thank you and stay where you are.

I don’t work in hr but I sit near them!
I would assume they know you aren’t going to move unless it’s worth your while.
It might be they haven’t decided the salary yet and it will depend how much they want you after the interview process.

If your presentation is ‘how would you help us do really well, make loads of money and expand massively’ then don’t do it, they’ll just pinch your ideas! 😂.

I wouldn’t bother to go at all if they are being this cagey about salary.

Id hold your nerve. They know they'll have to offer you high market rate to leave. I was in this position twice recently and in both cases the end result was a small pay rise.

I would politely tell them that they had approached me and that I was absolutely not going to prepare a formal presentation until they could tell me the salary as this was a critical feature in whether I was prepared to consider working for them or not.

If they cannot do that then I would tell them that it didn't feel like they were in a position to be interviewing. If they haven't cleared the salary they shouldn't be approaching people.

They approached you, I would ask them to give you a ball park figure or walk away

I was a CEO for over twenty years. I always tell people the salary. I don't like smoke and mirrors. If they are trying to get you cheap they'll hide it. Men always ask. Be bold and walk away if they try to fudge you

That tells you a lot about their culture. I would never put time and effort into a presentation for an interview if I would end up being offered a role earning less, so the fact they expect you to isn’t positive.
I’d politely decline on the basis that they won’t provide the salary details.

I agree, and the point that men always (or nearly always) ask is a valid one. It is only one step away from trying to get you on a lower salary than a man, or some other form of deception.

Also the entirely home based might not be 100% the case, there have been a number of threads where the level of wfh at interview is not the reality.

If they are not being transparent about the role, how can you trust them!? They might offer you less as they think you want to WFH and will move just for that.

Oh yes forgot to say: don't do the presentation until you know the offer. Then tel them your rates for doing freelance work for them

I agree with this.
I do think it’s a good idea to regularly see what the market is like by talking to other firms, but hey they approached you, they need to show they are serious…..

I wouldn't attend if they aren't up front.

Do they know what you currently earn? Can you say "Look I'll be really honest, I am looking at a minimum package of Xk. Is this in the ballpark because I don't want to waste your time if our expectations don't align."

Think it’s quite common unfortunately
but I would do it for the experience chance to sharpen you skills for interviewing and presenting

Don't bite if they ask 'well how much do you earn' and they give the some wishy washy response how it's competitive in bonus or other incentives, when they cant be upfront a bout the actual salary, who can trust with what they say

I agree don't go ahead if they won't give you the range.

Do NOT tell them what you earn now.

You could say "I'm looking for a salary in the range of x with ABC additional benefits". Make sure that x is at least 20% more than you would be happy with so that you have negotiation room.

But i still think they should share first

As others have said, I wouldn't be prepared to go to an interview if you don't know the salary. They approached you for goodness sakes!

They are behaving like awkward arses already despite approaching you?
That’s not a good look for an employer is it? It would put me right off frankly

I will ask the ballpark salary at the ‘initial interview/chat stage’ even if it is a multi stage interview. I’m not going to waste my time or theirs if we have a serious mismatch

i certainly wouldn’t put effort into a presentation without knowing

They approached you, and want you to prepare a presentation, without telling you the pay?

Absolutely not.

I think they need to be transparent with what they are offering you as a candidate. You also need to be able to decide whether or not this is the right move for you and its crazy to me that they may be willing to put the time and effort and cost into the interview process when you could then at the end decide its not an adequate package. You could put it to them in writing and say that you are keen to continue exploring whether you and the organisation are the right fit but in order to do that you need some transparency around the salary package.

That being said, even if they told you a figure surely it would still be something you'd want to negotiate at the end of the process anyway. My job was a match for the top end of my previous salary scale so I went through the interview process and then asked at the end if they were open to negotiation on salary and they had already approved me to go into the next pay band to give me room for progression. So maybe they are working on that in the background.

I think if you like the idea of the job its probably worth going through the process anyway and then doing a negotiation at the end. What I would not be prepared to do is work for free during the interview process.

This.

Or turn it around. Before you go to any further interviews, call or email them and say "To accept this position I would be looking for a package worth around £X. I want to ensure before we go any further in this process that we are in the same ballpark".

If they don't respond then forget them.