Some salaries are negotiable, but there's usually still a ceiling (and hopefully a floor) for most positions. Listing a salary range will allow potential applicants to know where those are. A candidate is free to negotiate in an effort to raise the ceiling, but if they can see what the upper end of the range is, they can have a more realistic idea of what would be reasonable to ask for. If they have no idea that the museum isn't willing/able to pay more than $45,000 and the applicant needs $50,000, they might be able to make a deal, but if they're looking for $65,000 they might want to save everyone some time and look for another job opportunity elsewhere.
While I think that disclosure of salary info should happen for all positions, it's extremely important for entry and mid-level positions. Perhaps at the executive level, applicants can usually safely assume that their compensation would be enough to meet living expenses, but for many museum positions that is very much not the case. Even at large museums (which tend to be found in urban centers with a high cost of living) the salaries offered to an education coordinator, an exhibit tech, or a collections assistant can be perilously close to the limits of viability. I just saw a position at a very large museum offering a salary in the mid $30,000's - in New York City! (That might work, if you have six room mates...)
Listing a salary range for all new hires carries the potential to raise questions among existing staff, who are likely to compare their own salary to the one being offered for the new position. If a museum is uncomfortable with that, perhaps that's an indicator that they are not confident in their own internal compensation equity.
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Michael Holland
Principal/Owner
Michael Holland Productions
Redmond, WA USA
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-24-2018 02:16 PM
From: Freda Mindlin
Subject: Museum Pay (Again)
My experience is that very often the salaries for positions listed on job websites are negotiable, particularly at medium to large museums. In addition, a museum could list a salary at the low end of their range, but will offer something higher for the candidate they want. Therefore, including salary information can be misleading. It might also keep qualified applicants from pursuing a position if they see a salary that's lower than their expectations. The current law prohibits employers and search consultants from asking a candidate's present salary, (they can be asked what their salary expectations are) so employers can no longer use that information to justify offering the potential employee a lower salary.
Freda
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Freda Mindlin
President
Opportunity Resources Inc.
New York NY
Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2018 07:25 AM
From: Anne Ackerson
Subject: Museum Pay (Again)
Now AAM needs to follow suit.
Anne
Original Message------
Good news, and kudos to AAHLS for moving the needle in the right direction!
Michael
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Michael Holland
Principal/Owner
Michael Holland Productions
Redmond, WA USA
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