[ciro_langone]

No, there isn't, unless you're okay with short-selling yourself.

If you share and your amount is > the employers, you have no job. Bad situation. If you share and your amount is < the employers, you'll be underpaid. Bad situation. If you share and your amount = the employers, you may have a job, but you'll never know if you left money on the table because you offered first. Bad situation.

If you offer the number first, the employer becomes the customer - and the customer is always right. If you wait for them to make you an offer, they have to make an offer that is compelling, in the same way sales people go above-and-beyond to close their deal.

Literally the only way sharing your salary first is advantageous is if you need a job immediately. If you can wait, it's best to hold onto your number. If they cared so much about "saving time" they would have put the salary range in the posting - the reason they don't is because it's disadvantageous to do so!

[benji-york]

I think that holds only if your time is worth nothing. I don't want to go through weeks of interviews just to find out that my salary demands are $50K more than they're willing to pay.

[nicolashahn]

This is exactly why I made the comment. Recently went through 4 calls and a full day on site just to be met with an offer they wouldn't budge on that's 20% lower than what I currently make.

[basseq]

I've been through a similar situation: big mistake. They key is to validate you are in range on salary before committing to an interview process. Companies should have the same goal, but many will waste their own time—as you experienced.

This doesn't mean you should share current salary information, but does mean you should be prepared to state your salary expectations. This can be a good thing, as you can anchor high.

If you're in demand and are taking phone screens on a whim, you can always ask the recruiter to share their range. Odds are good they won't, and you can have some "fun" by expressing concern that they don't know what they're hiring for.

[wvenable]

The time everyone puts into it is part of the negotiating process. A company will budge if it's worth it for them -- and your job is to convince them it's worth it.

If the first thing out of your mouth is salary and they balk at that then you never even get to the negotiating phase.

A few failures, like you had, is simply part of the process. I don't think it's reasonable to expect to be successful a job hunting every time you go into the interview process. The time you put in is part of that process.

[ciro_langone]

"Saving time" during the interview process doesn't make sense if you're going to spend the next X years being UNDERpaid at your job.

If we assume that your time has some amount of value, you are always better off withholding your desired salary.

If you want to see whether or not they're going to be a potential employer, ask them for a ballpark of what they're willing to pay. But there is no reason for telling them free information.

[Retric]

They need to convince you it's worth going through that much effort. It's also completely reasonable to ask what a position pays.

[dragonwriter]

This law requires them to provide salary ranges on demand to applicants, which addresses that without you giving them any info.

[s73ver_]

That's why part of this law states that the employer has to provide the salary range upon request.

[majormajor]

"If you share and your amount is > the employers, you have no job. Bad situation."

If I'm currently employed, that saves me taking time off for interviews, etc.

Depends on how desperately you want to leave, in that case, I guess.

[ciro_langone]

This is true - there's a time value included in this. If you can't take off work, or have a family/obligations and need to transition immediately, you may not be able to afford to withhold this information.

[arachnids]

> If you share and your amount is > the employers, you have no job.

FWIW, I have never had this happen to me in the Valley. Companies will either make projections on what their stock will be worth in the future to make their offer look as attractive as my current pay, or they'll straight up tell me that they have a leveling chart and $X is the maximum they can offer.

Asking me is a rational thing for them to do because they have nothing to lose - same outcome if I decline, win if I accept.

[fleitz]

Exactly, it's game theory. The trick to getting high salaries is not to try to win individual negotiations but to win in the general marketplace. I always disclose and ask for their pay so that we can get that out of the way quickly, and I can move on to somewhere that pays what I'm looking for.

[mac01021]

> If you share and your amount is > the employers, you have no job.

If I don't share and my amount is > than the employer's, I still have no job. The sharing just saves time.