The Dilemma
I’m hiring, but HR forbids me from sharing the salary range with candidates until an offer is made (likely because our pay is below market). Our application system asks for their desired salary, so I can *see* a candidate currently makes more than we offer. Yet, I’m forced to string them through the interview process, only for them to inevitably reject the lowball offer. We waste everyone’s time, and I’m back to square one. How do I answer “What’s the pay?” without feeling completely deceptive?
The Verdict
Yes, it’s as bad as it feels. Hiding salary is rude, frustrating, and a massive waste of time. It makes zero sense to interview and assess candidates who will never accept your offer. Early transparency lets unviable candidates self-select out, freeing you to focus on people who actually want the job.
The Reality Check
If your company is hiding uncompetitive pay, candidates will find out at the offer stage anyway. You’re already losing them then, so the charade only guarantees a worse candidate experience and more wasted hours for your team.
The Fix
1. **Go rogue (carefully):** If your seniority and internal politics allow, simply give candidates the salary range upfront and bypass HR’s roadblock.
2. **Revolt collectively:** Push back hard with HR, ideally alongside other frustrated hiring managers. Quantify the damage: *“We’ve lost X candidates and wasted Y hours this quarter due to this policy.”* HR’s job is to support the hiring process. When managers unite and demand a functional system, HR usually caves.
Stop apologizing for a broken process. Fix it.