[gamechangr]

I wouldn't put much confidence in that. I know of a friend that applied for a job with a $100k-$149k total compensation stated. He ended with a total comp of $360k. When he asked about it, the company said "we could never advertise above a range seen as normal, but we pay above our states ranges pretty regularly ". '

[Oras]

That's weird. Compensation is one of the most important factors to attract talent. I'm sure they miss a lot of qualified candidates with this strategy.

[xyzzy21]

Yeah but do YOU think you'd be work $360K or would your expectations for what you'd be obligated to scare you from even applying?

If you see range that's in a normal range, you'll apply.

Also for higher end salaries, the hiring is done differently and the expectations are generally different on both sides of the negotiation. You pretty much NEVER hire a $360K-$2M by putting out a req. You may do that as a formality but there's zero expectation of getting anything useful.

I once worked for a company that round-filed every Job Board and mailed resume application as a matter of SOP - they ONLY hired if an employee or trusted collaboration partner recommended the person. They created an EEOC-compliant process for legal appearances but they never hired through that.

Higher salary positions are more the same only more so.

Edit: the other factor - most jobs (I've seen claims of 80%) don't exist before the "right candidate" has already been found. I.e. the position is created for that person and not vice versa.

[throwawayninja]

My anecdata is I moved jobs several times because the problems we were solving became less technical and more political; I'll take a salary decrease to enjoy my work, thank you very much. As long as it covers regular life expenses, I'm personally much more attracted to an interesting problem to nibble on.

[pc86]

This seems pretty silly. There are plenty of people who will outright rule out anything below 200, or 250, or 300. None of them will apply in this scenario.

[igetspam]

I do. I flat out ignore comp in postings and negotiate based on my own perceived value. I've always ended up above the posted ranges. Have for the last 15 years or so. It's why I hesitate to publish them in job descriptions. I worry about weeding out top talent because my standard comp is below their range. I hire a lot of mid/senior and the range is based on them. If a truly unique person shows up that we think could really elevate the team, we'll pay for that but I can't advertise that and set incorrect expectations for everyone.

[teh_klev]

I'm the opposite and maybe it's impostor syndrome but I'd never apply for a role that has a way out of the ordinary salary. I usually have a range in mind for what I consider fair and decent compensation for my skillset and if I get an offer that's a bit higher then it comes as a nice surprise.

So I can kinda see how not advertising above the normal probably allows them to attract decently skilled folks who might not normally apply for a 200k+ job, and they might actually be better. And of course for the applicant when they get that healthy offer they didn't expect everyone wins.

[xrigau]

Was this a US-based company? I do wonder if this happens more common than we think, although as others have mentioned, it feels a bit counterproductive