{"id":255067,"date":"2025-09-26T02:27:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T02:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/255067\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T02:27:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T02:27:25","slug":"job-candidate-floored-by-the-circus-of-the-job-market-after-ceo-cancels-interview-for-asking-the-pay-calling-it-a-red-flag-that-lacks-judgment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/255067\/","title":{"rendered":"Job Candidate Floored By The ‘Circus of the Job Market’ After CEO Cancels Interview For Asking The Pay, Calling It A Red Flag That ‘Lacks Judgment’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you’ve ever felt uneasy asking about pay early in the hiring process, a recent Reddit post captured why that discomfort still exists<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a thread titled “CEO says asking for salary is a red flag. Interview makes a LinkedIn post that goes viral” on r\/recruitinghell, a user shared screenshots<\/a> from LinkedIn showing a candidate’s exchange with a hiring contact. The job seeker replied to an outreach message with a simple question: “Can you please let me know the salary range for this role?”<\/p>\n

The reply came back in a single block of text. “Base is up to $135k<\/a> with bonus potential, 401K, full benefits, equity consideration. Range is dependent upon validated candidates with proven track records. Asking that as a first question though is a red flag for me. So disregard invitation for call. It’s a fair question but lacks good judgment an introduction first.”<\/p>\n

Don’t Miss:<\/strong><\/p>\n

On LinkedIn, the candidate wrote, “Since when did asking for a salary range become a red flag? Raise your hand if you’re utterly floored by the current circus that is the employment market. Feedback welcomed (not that anyone asked). Hey LinkedIn, how about making salary ranges mandatory on job postings? Or is transparency still on backorder.”<\/p>\n

Reddit commenters quickly reacted to the exchange. One wrote, “That’s like me saying, \u2018Come help me mow my lawn and I will compensate you in some undisclosed way…I promise.'” Another added, “I ask [about pay] in the first message they send me. If I don’t get an answer, I reclaim the rest of my time.”<\/p>\n

Others focused on the imbalance this kind of response creates in the hiring process. One comment read, “It’s an unethical way of establishing an asymmetry of information that advantages the employer over the applicant.” Another said, “0% chance I’ll do more than a phone screen without a salary number. I’m probably not even doing a phone screen.”<\/p>\n

Trending: 7 Million Gamers Already Trust Gameflip With Their Digital Assets \u2014 Now You Can Own a Stake in the Platform<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Several users shared personal stories that echoed the frustration. “I interviewed for a position in Portland where the employer refused to mention the salary range until I’d flown up there and completed a technical interview. Seemed like a red flag to me. I declined.”<\/p>\n

Although the pay range was provided, the immediate rejection based on the timing of the question left many frustrated. The candidate didn’t negotiate or push back\u2014he simply asked, and was shut down before even getting a call. For many readers, that raised a bigger question about who’s allowed to ask what, and when.<\/p>\n

In a 2023 LinkedIn Workplace Confidence Survey<\/a>, 91% of U.S. workers said seeing a salary range would impact their decision to apply. That number jumps even higher among Gen Z<\/a> and millennial respondents. The takeaway: job seekers want transparency, and lack of it can be a dealbreaker.<\/p>\n

See Also: Backed by $300M+ in Assets and Microsoft’s Climate Fund, Farmland LP<\/strong><\/a> Opens Vital Farmland III to Accredited Investors<\/strong><\/p>\n

Legally, some states are catching up. California requires companies with 15 or more employees to list pay in all job ads\u2014even remote ones. New York mandates<\/a> that employers with four or more employees include minimum and maximum salary ranges in any job, promotion, or transfer opportunity. Colorado, meanwhile, continues to lead with its Equal Pay for Equal Work Act<\/a>, which enforces some of the strictest pay posting rules in the country.<\/p>\n

Asking about pay shouldn’t feel risky, but as this exchange showed, some hiring gatekeepers still treat it that way. Until policies and attitudes fully align, candidates may be left guessing where the line is\u2014and whether crossing it will cost them the job.<\/p>\n

Read Next: $100k+ in investable assets? Match with a fiduciary advisor for free to learn how you can maximize your retirement and save on taxes<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 no cost, no obligation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Image: Shutterstock<\/strong><\/p>\n

Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge’s one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights<\/strong><\/a> that can set you ahead in today’s competitive market.<\/p>\n

Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga?<\/p>\n

This article Job Candidate Floored By The ‘Circus of the Job Market’ After CEO Cancels Interview For Asking The Pay, Calling It A Red Flag That ‘Lacks Judgment’<\/a> originally appeared on Benzinga.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you’ve ever felt uneasy asking about pay early in the hiring process, a recent Reddit post captured…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":255068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,91585,420,4201,134522,213,134521,38903,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-255067","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jobs","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-hiring-process","10":"tag-jobs","11":"tag-linkedin","12":"tag-red-flag","13":"tag-reddit","14":"tag-salary-range","15":"tag-salary-ranges","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115268238920031155","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}