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Comment by mancerayder | Hacker News Reader

I don't do that, but what I do do is:

The recruiter:

"Hey, I saw your profile on LinkedIn and I felt you'd be perfect for a position I have for BLAH, a very established BLAHBITY BLAH, looking for someone like yourself who can do BLAH and BLAH. When are you available for a call?"

My response:

Hi, <Recruiter>. Thanks for reaching out! It sounds interesting but I'm going to need more info, can you kindly provide a salary range and location? Also, <additional question here>?

Thanks!

The Recruiter will answer one of two ways:

a) with the raw data

b) with an additional request for a phone conversation.

Folks, I can tell you one thing - b usually means the pay is below what I'm looking for, almost every time. So b I ignore and let them come begging (at least in this current climate where the market is strong).

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I have always found recruiters incredibly reluctant to pass on any useful job info/specs without a gating phone call. I dont actively want a new job, so the conversations always stall on "when are you free for a call".

Salespeople has this stupid mentality.

They’d rather lose sale than talk over email to customer.

I was on the market for brand new luxury sedan and certain dealership was insisting of me coming in rather then disclosing their price.

I took my business elsewhere.

I'm working on the sales side of the company these days - basically, it comes down to a phone call giving you a much better way to develop rapport with someone than email does. You can ask some questions in a way which wouldn't work well via email.

With that said, you can tell pretty early on that some folks prefer talking over email to phone -- and that's OK too!

I feel uncomfortable with sync-style communications with sales people that demand 100% of attention to their persona.

To me the sale is a matter of clear equation: success=min(price). If I have extra questions - i'll call or schedule appointment and come to talk.

Otherwise I am not interested to listen to the other guy's sales pitch and his life stories. If dealer is unwilling or incapable of answering simple question over email - this leaves a perception of some sort shady character and I move on.

And likely so others too.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you to max(value). :-)

Basically, I agree with you. If you don’t want to talk with me, I don’t want to waste your time and mine. Generally, I’ll try to supply whatever I can to you via email and propose a phone call or f2f if there are some things which need clarification. If my product (semiconductor manufacturing equipment) isn’t a fit, it is usually apparent pretty quickly and everyone can move on with their lives.

Most people wanting a price in writing are doing so as a negotiating lever with another dealer.

Good to know.

Hence, the reason dealers are unwilling to give a price in writing is because they know they're asking too much and will likely be beaten by the other dealers.

Clear sign to move on to other local dealers.

The only answer I've ever got for "why" is "I don't email specs out without a preliminary chat, because fake profiles can lead to specs being stolen and used to take clients".

I can accept it's a thing that could happen and be true. vOv

I don't think that is a good assumption. I can think of plenty of other reasons.

1. The answer depends on how well your interview goes. The salary range would have to include everything from a borderline beginner to a highly experienced person with all sorts of extra skills. You might focus on the end of that range which doesn't apply to you. The difference could be a factor of 5 or more.

2. They legitimately haven't been told.

3. They have been told, but they can't tell you. This is sensitive information that can be used by competitors.

In California at least, an employer is legally required to disclose the salary range of the role upon request.

To be honest, almost all the recruiters in NY tell me the range. Some try the 'what are you looking for' attempt at opening bid. But many just want to get on the phone to massage a mediocre pitch, in my experience. Mediocre can mean an annoying location, or below market salary.

Sure thing, $40,000 to $900,000. Useful?

Suppose it isn't yet decided if you will be a "Junior Tester" or a "Senior Fellow Distinguished Engineer". The decision will be made after the interview. What does California law say about such a situation, where there isn't just one neatly limited slot into which you must exactly fit?

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