$ cat /posts/2026/02/the-big-question.md

The big question

Feb 17, 2026, 6:31 PM 4 min read #protip #work

I have truly lost count of how many times I have read the same advice about the salary question.

There are so many posts on the topic of discussing salary expectations with a potential employer, and without fail they will include some variation on this advice:

The one who gives a number first loses.

The problem with statements like these is this: The idea that there’s a winner and a loser is a viewpoint that does nobody involved any favours.

Let’s take a look at everyone’s motivation in this scenario:

  • The employer needs a person who has the skills and capabilities necessary to accomplish the goals of the team/business unit/company. They have a salary range, and they know what that salary range is.
    • That range might be influenced by published salary banding, parity amongst team members, their financial year budget, Mercury being in Gatorade, whatever. The number exists. (Whether or not the number is in line with the market is a separate question.)
  • The candidate is looking for a new role for $reason - the potential reasons are many and varied. They too have a salary range, but they may or may not know what that range is.
    • In my experience, “more than my last job”, “I have a feeling I am underpaid where I am so I’m testing that theory and asking for quite a bit more”, and “I saw a salary guide that said X” are common ones here. But then again, so are “I’m not motivated by money, I just want my weekends back” and “I would take a pay cut to escape the soul-crushing misery of my current job.”
    • The employer’s salary range is sometimes Schrodinger’s Cat-like - from the candidate’s perspective it is simultaneously “plenty” and “nowhere near enough”, until the point where the candidate actually hears it; at that point, the waveform collapses and the reaction to the number in comparison with a pre-existing (potentially unarticulated) expectation determines the outcome.
  • Ideally, the employer’s range and the candidate’s align, and away we go.

Why employers ask this

It’s not a big secret, it’s not rocket science, and it’s not to undercut you in a race to the bottom. It’s simple common sense: if the employer and the candidate are not aligned on salary, it’s simple respect for each other’s time to get that out of the way early.

Let’s say that as the employer my range is $140k-$160k for a role, because we have published salary bands and that’s what the band is for this role. You had $180k in mind because you have bills to pay, or because you’re on $170k now, or for whatever reason. Doesn’t matter what the reason is. We’re not aligned, so this isn’t the right role for you and maybe we should have a chat once a more senior role comes along. Would you rather find this out:

A. During the very first call, or B. After two weeks and three rounds of interviews?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

The real solution

Here’s the thing: the real solution is not “fuck it, candidates should say the number first”. Of course not! The employer/candidate dynamic has a massive power asymmetry as it is. The real solution is this:

The employer loses nothing by giving a number first.

In fact, the real answer to that question above is:

C. The salary is in the job ad, so you know whether or not to even apply.

There’s a few reasons why employers don’t make salaries public, but a really common one is that they have to offer new staff more than their existing staff are making in the same role. If the market for a senior engineer is x, but they have senior engineers on 0.8x, they can’t publish that salary without getting pointed questions. Probably pretty deserved ones about the lack of transparency, why yearly increases aren’t keeping pace with the market, and why new people are being treated differently to people who have stuck around and delivered.

My advice:

  • Employers, get your house in order. Put salaries in your job ads. Tell people in the first call, “our range for this role is $X to $Y, is that aligned with your expectations?” If telling your staff what you’re offering new people would cause discontent because they’re not being paid consistent with what you offer new staff, fix that.
  • Candidates, ask what the range is. Expect companies to put it in their job ads. And yes, if they insist on playing coy about numbers, save yourself the time and energy and move on.

Framing the issue as win/lose is just wasting everyone’s time.