When I’m reading a job posting for creative writers, I can sense almost immediately if the company or individual will list what the position pays.

More often than not, they don’t list it. Or they dodge with the word competitive, hoping to get a free sample from you that they will own. A sample that cost you time you will never get back, but this is a known cost.

I just read one that used this tactic on one hand and required full time commitment including doing your own research on the material before writing it. If a person doesn’t have some idea what the compensation will be for the end result, you will have lost a number of candidates from the jump. 

Just be honest and transparent from the beginning. Treat the talent like the asset they can and should be for your organization. Tell them what you can pay and prove there is room for growth or if that is an unknown, stability. 

We really don’t want a lot, but this deliberate obfuscation is always a deal breaker for me.

Don’t be afraid to admit if you are a new organization and the budget for the position is low. You will still be able to find an ideal candidate who is willing to work with you through the growing pains.

If you are an established organization, telling candidates what you can offer them should be a badge of honor for how far you’ve come. It’s a signal to potential talent that they can be part of something special, and not in the corporate jargon “We’re a family” bullshit way.

Nobody is buying the office family line any more, so please stop trying to sell it. Most of us just want to do the work assigned and truly leave work every day and not feel obligated to give it more than it deserves from us.