Have you done the Salary Dance?

HR (knowing the salary range): What salary are you looking for?

You (with a range in your head): I'm flexible depending on the role.

Outcome (often not known until the offer stage): a huge gap, and a waste of everyone's time.

I've been there myself, excitedly making it through several rounds of interviews, only to have a disappointing salary conversation where both parties are too far apart to reach a mutually satisfying figure.

I was conflicted. Do I take a step backward to have a job? Do I pass, knowing it may be a long time before another opportunity comes my way?

One thing's for sure, if I'd known the salary upfront, I probably wouldn't have applied.

Massachusetts (where I live) recently announced they're close to signing a Wage Transparency law requiring employers with 25 or more workers to post pay ranges with their job openings.

Once passed, we'll join 10 states with transparency laws, and 12 more states are considering them.

While these laws aim to reduce salary inequity for women, minorities, and other historically marginalized groups (a great thing!), they benefit all job seekers by eliminating the awkward Salary Dance where neither side wants to offer up a number first.

ZenSearch helps you avoid the Salary Dance with a salary filter, so you can easily filter out jobs below your minimum. We have salaries for about a third of our US roles, increasing every day, as more states require it and more companies see its value.

Check us out at zensearch.jobs and share our platform with anyone looking for something new. Together, we can make job searching a little more zen.