26 September 2007

Tightness Commensurate with Transparency


As a graduate student, I read a lot of job postings. Apart from a couple of other choice nuggets of information, salary is one of the most important elements I look for in such a thing. This is why it drives me crazy to read the phrase "Salary commensurate with experience."

No shit? You mean you're not going to pay me $275,000 to manage the private equity arm of your group because the only thing I've ever managed is my checkbook, not to mention I don't even know what private equity means? I have to have a graduate degree or several years' experience to earn a competitive wage?

BAH! Of course salary is commensurate with experience! Either write down a reasonable range or don't bother writing at all. This is a two-way street: I gain valuable information on the person you're seeking to hire by reading qualifications and salary range, and you save yourself the hassle of sifting through a million applications by giving applicants basic information!

Get tight: get forthright.