Would posting a high salary on a programmer job advertisement encourage strong candidates and weed out lesser candidates? The salary would be relative to the position.
Edit: Maybe it wouldn't alter your application, but would you have any concerns or does this raise any red flags? It wouldn't make them seem desperate?
So, you want to hire a great programmer.
Every good programmer hopes to work at a great company which treats their employees well. High salary can be explained as "they have a revolutionary product and hence they can afford to share". They know it is the right thing to do so that I do not leave prematurely. (I personally have been spoiled before and took it for granted.)
How to keep idiots away is another question. Just about everyone overestimates their experience by a factor of ... say 1.5. Employers overestimate their requirements by a factor of same. Both sides sort of have to - game theory at work. Do not overdo it and do not under-do it.
Write a fair, tough, informative description. Such one below. When I saw it, I liked it. I am sure that many fakes would not respond.
How to screen resumes and candidates effectively is a third question. Many, including Jeff Atwood have written about it at length. I will not give you a full guide for ... what do I know, plus there are better advices out there on the internet. I would just reiterate - do not piss off good candidates. Also, do you have something to hide, or are you heaven on earth? Hiring would be way easier if you were. Good luck.
Software engineer - Java - REAL PROGRAMMERS ONLY (Bedford)
Date: 2011-01-05, 2:17PM EST Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]
Do you have experience developing with Java, Spring and Hibernate?
Java Experience Required
We are looking for select individuals with Java, Spring and Hibernate experience who are interested in developing scalable backend systems that process large amounts of data.
Raybeam Solutions is a growing niche consulting company focused on internet search and marketing, business intelligence, and data warehousing for the past 10 years. We have offices near Boston and in Silicon Valley and support a strong list of clients including Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, eBay, Expedia and AOL. We're looking for a flexible, well-rounded technologist with maturity and business savvy to join us in Boston or Silicon Valley. We design and develop systems using a variety of tools and platforms. We work in small teams, own the projects that we work on and have direct input into the business decision of our clients.
You have: Real Tested Programming Skills: If you have a technology listed on your resume you will be expected to talk at length on how you used it, pros & cons. An actual passion for development: ... if you got into this line of work because you thought it would make a dependable career, chances are this is not a good fit. Confidence in your skills ... if the idea of doing technical screenings in your interview, peer code reviews and team design reviews makes you nervous, chances are this is not a good fit. We are very good at what we do and only want to work with people like us.
Breadth of knowledge: We move fast on small teams. You'll need to be able to set up the server where you're writing code that's using a database you've configured. Excellent communication skills: Not just good. Explaining exactly what we're doing and why we're doing it is an important part of the job. Many people you'll talk to do not have the same technical experience that you do, but they still will need to feel comfortable with what your ideas and actions. Ability to listen and understand: We work with smart people in a variety of fields. You'll need to understand what they're asking of you. Quickness: Can you work intelligently with speed? Much of what we do is prototyping systems that have never built before. Our clients are interested in results and we need to deliver them quickly. Experience at scale: We start at terabytes. Everything gets larger from there.
We have: Depth: It's a small company but we bring decades of combined experience in internet marketing and business intelligence at scales that few people have the opportunity to work at consistently Intellectual diversity: We're engineers, political scientists, statisticians and even music theorists. We can all write code, but that's not the only thing we do. Connections: We mentioned a few of our business partners above. This network rubs off. Raybeam employees go on to work at places like Google, Microsoft, Expedia and CBSSportsline. Challenges: Every engagement is different and we get the opportunity to be creative every time. Fun: We're hilarious ... trust us.
Specifics: You’ll be working with Java, Spring and Hibernate and you’ll have experience with OOD Multi-threaded programming Database design SQL
I think very specific
do more to weed out lesser candidates. If the above items don't reflect why a salary is high, then the overall skill set within the candidate pool will not meet desired levels.
Personally, a high salary never deterred me from applying for a position. Seeing requirements (experience and/or education) has always been the determining factor in whether I would apply.
Edit in response to comment
Requirements need to be specific and describe exactly what you are looking for. I don't know java well enough to give specifics; however, for C#, I might suggest:
I would use lingo and terms that only someone who is familiar with them would know. A quick question can easily give you a clue as to whether the candidate knows what they are talking about: Include one project in detail in which you have implemented one or more of the technologies listed above.
Regardless, if the candidate knows that there will be a test, that could easily sway unqualified candidates from applying. Some candidates will think they can smooth-talk their way into a 2nd interview or a job offer. Your interview process, will be the only way to ensure you get qualified candidates for a 2nd interview. I really don't think there will be any magic job posting that will be fool proof.
How do you figure? Wouldn't you attract more candidates (both good and bad) who are drawn by the high salary figure?
Most job posts I've seen list a salary range or (more often) just note that salary will be commensurate with the candidate's skills and experience.
As I think about it, I don't think you can do much to weed out lesser candidates at the job posting level. Often people who aren't quite qualified don't know it anyway. I would just focus on writing out the requirements as dboarman suggested to increase the odds of attracting qualified candidates.
Personally I've never been intimidated by seeing a high salary figure. I only get intimidated and put off from applying for something if I see things in the job description which are far beyond my skills and experience.
In other words, I HAVE applied for highly paid roles in the past which turned out to be out of my league in the interview, but didn't seem so from the (inadequate) description in the ad. I guess this is what you're trying to work out?
So no, I don't think a high salary alone does all that much to weed out people who are inadequate for a role. Personally I'd simply be as detailed as possible in the ad. Nobody wants to waste their time when they can clearly see that much more is expected than they can bring to the table.
No. A high salary listed will get you huge amounts of resumes to sift through - far more than if you listed no salary at all.
That being said, one bank I worked for had such a bad reputation for discarding employees that they had to offer a significant premium just to get people in the door. Among the silly things they did: if you were overheard (all phone lines were monitored) talking about looking for another job then that was your last day; another was that contractors could only work for 90 days and then they'd be dismissed as that was a "security" feature.
I can recall one place I worked ran a job add offering $30K per year (which was a very high salary in 79). Someone passed all the requirements, but was rejected because he was greedy and wanted the advertised salary! What were they thinking?
I would look at it more from statistical point of view. Keep in mind this is all hypothetical. I am assume that you want to hire someone in the top 95% maybe more. I think posting a high salary would encourage more people to apply, but for every one great candidate you would get 19 candidates that don't meet your expectations. I don't personally think that a high salary would deter qualified candidates from applying, but I have no experience in the regard. I am really not sure that there is good way to limit the number of "bad" candidates". I am not even sure the that "bad" candidates would know that they are unqualified or care for that matter.
Also, I think part of the reason that it is hard to find good candidates is that they already have jobs. Unless they are unhappy where they work, they are probably not looking.
The salary would be relative to the position.
This one line makes me wonder if it is really a "high salary" or if it's reasonable compensation for the skills required and the level of the position.
If the salary is average for the position you are trying to fill, I might think it could have the opposite effect. As someone has already mentioned, it might be hard to find good candidates b/c they are already employed. If they see your salary and its average, why would they leave their stable position for something that's not a sure thing for the money they are probably already making?
For me, seeing a salary makes me think the company isn't going to negotiate at all. If the job requirements don't match the salary posted it makes me think something is being hidden.
But, if I didn't have a job and I really REALLY needed one (bad economy you know) I would apply even if I had only a subset of the skills required. Never know, you might get lucky right? Any job is better than no job.
So, the TL;DR version is no I don't think posting a higher salary on your job ad will help to minimize unqualified people, but it might hinder you in maximizing the qualified people.
I kind of like the ads that do post a salary range. It's the ones that don't that get me worried (Are they hiding something? Are they going to play the ridiculous negotiation game where I have to mention a number first so they can screw me?). If they post a salary range, I know whether it meets my needs in that department, and don't waste my time with it if it doesn't. If the salary posted is truly in the budget for that position then fine.
That said, the other answers posted here are legit too.
In the end though, I think it would have about the same chance of attracting bogus candidates as it would filtering out people that weren't serious.
The best people usually are paid above average already. If you advertise an "average" salary it'll be a pay cut for the best people. So yes advertise a high salary, or leave it blank and hint at high rates.
You'll have the problem of being swamped by resumes but I'm sure you can handle that.
Salary posted in a job listing is irrelevent. Most people are only going to move from N% more than they're currently making. Most employers are only going to pay N% higher than you made at your last job. If they post 200K and find out you were making 100K at the last place, you're probably going to get offered somewhere between 101-120K (you'll get told that the 200K was for a very well qualified candidate with your experience +10 years and and your degree plus a PHD, etc). If they're offering 120K and you were making 140K, they'll probably offer you 150K if they really want you. So just be the company doing cool things that has a fun environment and nice perks. They pay will be whatever it is.
As long as you're willing to pay what you advertise, I don't see a problem with it. (I was silly enough to accept a job once where the figure I was offered was quite a bit lower than what was advertised; I was told it would be very negotiable when I started but it most definitely wasn't.)
It annoys me more when job ads don't list any salary range at all.
