Dive Brief:
- Salary transparency has become a deal-breaker for most job seekers, as 60% say they won’t apply for a posted position that doesn’t include a salary range, according to a new Job Search Deal-Breakers Report from employment website Monster published this week.
- More than half of job-seekers also skip or are less likely to apply for job postings with unclear job descriptions, those from companies that have negative reviews or require excess unpaid work or tests during the hiring process, the survey of 1,000 U.S. workers found.
- “Lack of pay transparency may indicate compensation expectations aren’t clearly defined,” the report stated. “Many job seekers skip jobs without salary range details, and a no-salary-listed job posting can be an early red flag about transparency.”
Dive Insight:
Over the past six years, a number of local communities and more than a dozen states have passed laws requiring the companies to disclose pay ranges on all job postings.
Some financial leaders have stated in recent years that they are not ready to provide such transparency. However, according to Monster’s report, not doing so could lock companies out of a large percentage of the talent pool.
Job seekers, the report added, want to understand the compensation they would receive from a position before investing time in completing an application.
“Salary transparency has quickly become one of the most important signals job seekers look for when evaluating job postings,” the report stated.
Providing pay transparency can save organizations money since it allows them to avoid expenses related to interviewing candidates who won’t accept the role at the salary being offered, said John Arendes, CEO of training platform Traliant, previously told CFO Dive.
Transparency laws also allow potential employees to avoid wasting time applying for a position they are overqualified for and give them insight into the potential value that the company is putting on the role, Arendes added.
If a posting doesn’t include compensation information, job seekers should consider researching typical salary ranges for similar roles — helping them decide whether to pursue the position or ask about the pay range early in the process, the Monster report stated.
Other findings
Beyond a lack of pay transparency, 59% of job seekers stated they would be less likely to apply for a job posting that required unpaid assignments or excessive take-home work, the report stated. In total, mandatory assignments or tests would dissuade 34% of job seekers from applying altogether, while 66% stated it wouldn’t necessarily prevent them from applying.
This suggests “candidates may still be willing to complete assessments if the process feels fair and reasonable,” the report stated.
Some 56% of job seekers skip job postings from companies with negative reviews and 51% indicated they are more likely to avoid roles with unclear job descriptions, the report stated. Meanwhile, 46% were more likely to avoid postings that included unrealistic role requirements — such as entry-level roles requiring five or more years of experience — while 45% were more likely to bypass application processes that were overly long or complicated.
“Together, these findings suggest that candidates are paying attention not just to compensation, but also to signals about fairness, clarity, and respect for their time, the report stated. “Today’s job seekers may still be applying widely, but they’re also paying closer attention to signals about transparency and effort.”
