Last week in our pay transparency series, we talked about pay transparency laws. You can read it here. This week, let’s talk about how pay ranges influence job post conversion.
I consider myself an analytical person, but never realized everything I didn’t know until I was hired on a demand generation team. These were spreadsheet nerds who talked in numbers and formulas. Working with a lot of people who were 10x as analytical as I am forced me to grow in ways I couldn’t imagine. The most important growth? I went from someone who just read a chart to a person that had a lot of questions about the data set.
I’m sure there’s some meme to make fun of the person with their hand up always asking questions, but when it comes to numbers - there are really easy ways to convince people when you have no context for the situation. You could look at a data set and panic that sales have dropped if you never considered that week was a religious holiday where everyone goes offline for the country where the majority of their customers reside.
When I brought this skill over to a recruiting team, I was a little surprised no one else in the room was asking questions about conversion rates or funnels. They didn’t look at the applicants and build a strategy accordingly. In most cases, it was all hunting. Post a job. Source candidates and hire one of them 90% of the time. I wanted to ask the question no one was asking: Why are we working so hard?
Small Variables Impact Job Posting Conversion A Lot
This weird analytical super power is at least partially why I got so excited about job postings in the first place. While most people were blowing the job posting off as an administrative nightmare, I could see the clear purpose: This is a landing page and we’re trying to convert the best candidate. It’s the hardest marketing job in the whole world.
What was most fascinating to me was how different variables created completely different results. Job title, for one. It directly impacts who sees the post. I tell clients all the time - if you’re not getting any applicants or any qualified candidates? Change the job title.
The number of requirements listed in the posting is also highly influential. Overloading your job post with requirements can unintentionally filter out qualified candidates, especially those from underrepresented groups. Research from Harvard Business Review found that women are less likely to apply unless they meet 100% of the stated qualifications, while men will apply if they meet only 60%. Concise, specific requirements matter.
Does Less Pay = Lower Job Post Conversion?
Salary transparency also highly impacts job post conversion rates, but I doubt that surprises anyone. According to a survey by ResumeLab, 80% of respondents said they were unlikely to apply for a job if the salary range is not provided. 85% of upcoming and recent graduates are less likely to apply for a job if the recruiter doesn't mention the salary range.
Most employers are hesitant because they know they’re underpaying and they’re worried it’ll give them less quality applicants. That’s not what I’ve seen with our clients. Even when pay was incrementally lower, writing a higher quality job post combined with clarity about pay was the ultimate recipe. We posted two nursing jobs side by side. The results? Almost double the applicants on the high quality job post - even when they weren’t the highest paying gig in town. The quality of applicant was also much better. Over 70% moved on to get an offer. Looking for help with your job post quality or conversion rate? Book a meeting.
The reality is this: no one wants to apply to a job without knowing how much money they will make. Will they? Yes, because the conditions require that. Most states don’t require pay transparency and the ones that do barely regulate the ridiculous ranges. But if you’re looking to improve the quality of applicants and conversion on your job posts? Use technology to code alerts that tell you when salaries haven't been posted. Here's an example of how that might work. For transparency, you'll see below that Ongig sponsored this blog series.
How Do Candidates Interpret Wide Vs Narrow Salary Ranges?
It’s not as simple as saying “starts at $45,000.” This is a salary range after all. Not a car. There are variables and even listing a wide range vs a narrow salary range can have an impact on the conversion of your job posts - especially for high volume roles.
A study from Washington State University found that job advertisements with very wide pay ranges led to organizations being perceived as less trustworthy, potentially deterring high-quality candidates. Additional research from the University of Washington showed women are significantly less willing to apply to positions with wide pay ranges compared to narrow ones. Consider that broad ranges may make the gender disparities in your applicant pools worse.
What is a good pay range? One that has an explanation of what someone at the top has that someone at the bottom doesn’t. So, for example: “Pay range variables include experience with creating Boolean strings, leading a team, and location.” Then, your recruiter should ask about those 3 things before talking about money. Transparency means all the way through the process - especially when it comes to cash.
Job Seekers Need To Research Pay: Next Week I’ll Show You How
Spelling pay ranges out for candidates doesn’t mean they understand how to advocate for themselves. Hell, even recruiters don’t always know how to use the emotional and literal tools we need to get more money.
Let’s face it: pretty much everyone is weird about money. How do we get over it to negotiate what we deserve? What specific questions should you ask to get more money? What tools are out there to give you all the data you need?
That and more in next week’s edition of my series on salary transparency. Want to make sure you don’t miss next week’s post? Subscribe here.
Meet My Series Sponsor
I'm thrilled to announce my partnership with Ongig. By combining my job post writing training with their platform, we’re helping HR and TA pros:
✨ Speed up the job description writing process
✨ Create more engaging and inclusive job posts that attract great talent
✨ Stay consistent and compliant
Want to learn more? Start a free trial.
Other Posts In This Series:
