When it comes to salary negotiations, companies often find it more advantageous to conduct a gradual discussion right from the initial meeting, rather than waiting until after a final offer has been extended. While junior candidates might approach negotiations with a different psychological backdrop, senior professionals, once they’ve received a final offer and know they are highly desired, tend to develop a stronger inclination to inflate their market value. This implies that candidates are more likely to adopt a highly calculative attitude during negotiations.

Initiating negotiations from the outset of the recruitment process could encourage candidates, keen on securing the position, to present their original value more modestly. It also facilitates a more open and honest discussion about the full range of resources available from both the applicant and the company. Naturally, companies might harbor concerns that publicly disclosing the compensation for a specific role could set a precedent for all future applicants’ salary discussions. However, I believe this concern is largely unwarranted. Given that information regarding a candidate’s previous salary is typically gathered early in the hiring process anyway, transparent disclosure of compensation can actually serve as a positive mechanism to guide negotiations, ensuring all relevant ‘resources’ are openly shared between parties.