Salary ranges and pay transparency: why honest ranges build trust
Candidates now arrive with salary data gathered in minutes. With layoffs high, honest ranges are the practical way to earn trust on both sides of the table.
The short answer
Pay transparency matters more now because candidates arrive informed. Salary data from transparency laws is easy to find, and AI tools summarize it in minutes. In a market where layoffs are high, the hiring manager setting a range today may be the candidate negotiating tomorrow. Honest, realistic ranges build the trust that both sides need.
The information advantage is gone
For decades, employers knew the budget and candidates guessed. Today, a candidate can pull benchmarks for a role, industry, and market before the first conversation, and many are coached on how to use them. Hiring teams that assume an uninformed candidate put their credibility at risk.
Anyone can end up on the other side of the table
Challenger, Gray and Christmas reported 1,206,374 announced job cuts in 2025, up 58 percent from 2024 and the highest annual total since 2020. The person negotiating from strength this year may be negotiating from need next year.
What real transparency looks like
A range of $60,000 to $280,000 does not tell a candidate anything useful, and experienced candidates recognize it. A useful range reflects the actual budget for the level, explains what moves an offer within it, and is shared before a candidate invests weeks in the process.
Advice for candidates
Use market data with context. A national average is a starting point, not your number. Your specific skills, results, and situation determine what you should ask for, so prepare the evidence as carefully as the benchmark.
Advice for employers
Build pay structures you can explain, train managers to discuss compensation directly, and post ranges that match real offers. How an organization treats people on the way in tells them how it will treat them on the way out.
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