I recently talked with a hiring manager for a job I applied to where I listed my salary expectations as "negotiable."

She called and asked me for a specific number or range I was expecting. I told her and she said it was higher than they were looking for and that I should have listed that number instead of putting "negotiable" because that way it wouldn't waste anyone's time interviewing prospects that were out of range.

I said that's understandable, and thanked her, and we ended the call. Of course, it would save even more time if they simply listed the salary they were offering on the job advertisement in the first place, then if it was too low I would never have applied in the first place and nobody's time would be wasted.

If companies wanted pay to be fair/equal, they'd simply include the salary in any job posting instead of making the applicant tell them what their history or salary expectations are. Some companies do this, but most do not. Of course it's because they want the cheapest labor they can get. I guess that's the greatness of America?

I think Amazon's problem is that the higher paid tech side of the house is mostly male. When I worked there it was about 90% male. Other parts were more equal male to female, but they weren't as highly paid. Amazon is pretty good about equal pay in each job, it is just that the higher paid jobs are filled by mostly males. It is an issue all through tech, but it would hamper the revolving door that is Amazon employment. It would require them to hire and keep more females in those higher paid jobs, and the management chain there is not good enough to do that.

"Battles told lawmakers, 'You will regulate small business out of existence if you continue to request something different in every jurisdiction where they work.'"

What utter, unmitigated bat guano.

Even the most basic, no-bells-or-whistles accounting software can do something as simple as assign an hourly wage rate to a particular employee and calculate earnings; that's what they're designed to do, after all. And it's not like every employee of every small business makes exactly the same amount in the first place, right?

Or was he just referring to those "struggling mom-and-pop" employers (with multiple locations and job sites) who are still entering payroll information by-hand in large double-entry ledger books using quill pens and India ink?

@3, most companies don't want to be fair; they want to be efficient and profitable. You should not have answered the question about your pay hopes; since you put "negotiable", you could have simply repeated that. At least then you might have had a chance to continue the conversation.

Not unusual that companies are flexible about who they hire on to a team, and open-ended about how much they are willing to pay. If the interview process finds a star, they will pay what it takes. If it finds somebody good enough but not a star, they will offer less. Not sensible in those circumstances for the hiring manager to declare a pay level up front. Maybe they'll declare a range.

@5,
I'm gonna assume you meant to respond to me @1 and not @3?

I did tell her again that my salary expectations were negotiable, and that it depended on the other benefits they were offering (of which I knew very little as well). She straight out told me, "yes, I understand it's negotiable and depends on benefits, but I need you to give me an actual dollar amount or at least a range." So I gave her my acceptable range, at which point she said it was higher than what they were offering. That was that. I didn't have the option of not telling her my salary expectations after she specifically told me I was required to give her a number.

@5 & 6,

Businesses trying to be efficient and profitable is part of the equation, yes. However, by being secretive and opaque about salary, it allows them to pay less to people who don't negotiate better or who don't correctly assess their own value. Is that the fault of the prospect? Yes. Is it also the fault of generation after generation of different genders and races experiencing and practicing and learning how society values them differently and reacting accordingly? Also yes.

If women are paid less than men, ask WHY that happens. Because they don't value their skills and labor as much as men do, right? So why does THAT happen? Could it be because: 1) They haven't had as much experience and learning as men have with negotiating? and 2) They've had it burned into them since they were in diapers that women aren't worth as much as men?

Companies could set good examples and pay people what they're worth, regardless of negotiating skills (skills which may not have anything to do with their job). Doing so could create a lot of social and employee loyalty and trust. But instead they play the selfish, short-sighted misers who will gladly sell their mothers if it means they get another dollar in their pockets. They don't care if their actions result in public hatred of them because the executives have golden parachutes and will walk away from the trainwreck with billions in bonuses while their regular employees are left with rags.

Penny wise and pound foolish. Corporate greed. Class warfare. Complete disregard for even BASIC decency and dignity. I guess that's what America is. I wish it were easier to leave this place and become a citizen in a better country. I can see why they don't want us though.

And for some strange reason Amazon's been seeking a "2nd" headquarters. Hmmmm.

@9
Dinosaurs with two brains also went extinct.

“You will regulate small business out of existence if you continue to request something different in every jurisdiction where they work." What a business shill canard.

ALEC beavers away at all levels of government including the city and county councils level to attack any legislation that is good for employees and protects the environment. There should be a Facebook group in every state that serves as a watchdog that tracks legislation and alerts citizens to the dirty deeds ALEC attempts behind closed doors by foisting “model legislation” on legislative bodies and attacking laws that protect the common good. Fuck ALEC and fuck Amazon.