Salary usually becomes the crucial question in the job application process. Even though it's been mandatory in Austria since 2001, employers, in general, are still shy when naming a fixed sum in their job advertisements in the rest of Europe. This isn't an exception in the IT industry.
Avoiding to mention salary might create a risk of deterring software developers. A recent study shows developers’ salary is still the most important deciding factor to change or keep their job, even before the working hours and other conditions affecting work-life balance are considered. To almost half of the survey participants, dissatisfaction with their salaries was the reason for their last job change.
Additional studies confirm that if the salary is mentioned in a job advertisement, three of four applicants will select the advertisement containing the information. That means: Specified salary is the first requirement for a successful job advertisement.
We have recently created a salary calculator to help recruiters define which salary range is appropriate for certain developer positions. Both job seekers and employers can use various criteria to determine which salary is appropriate (depending on professional experience, programming skills, location, and job title).
1. Orientation aid
Information about the salary range enables candidates to get an initial idea of what employers are willing to pay. That alone is often the decisive factor for an application - if the numbers are halfway right.
2. Communication at eye level
Job applicants are often required to disclose their salary requests inside applications. If companies are also taking part in revealing calculated salary ranges on their behalf, communication on an equal footing is possible, and no one feels “ripped off” by the other.
3. Increased transparency
Software developers pay a lot of respect to the transparent application processes as they want to find all the important information inside job advertisements. Even if companies do not wish to disclose salaries in advance, relevant information can be found on the internet - often to the respective employer’s detriment.
4. Lower turn off rates
Anyone who finds interest points inside the job advertisement won’t feel compelled to research other sites. This concept increases the stay rate on the ad page - and in the best case, results in the number of applications.
5. Get more applications
Various studies keep showing: Employers who already indicate a possible salary range in the job advertisement can expect more applications than the ones who keep themselves silent about it. After all, both sides know what to expect - and that is the beginning of an equal working relationship on an equal footing.
Try our salary comparison for software developer positions!
