When applying for a job, applicants seek a position that will positively benefit their lives. They want a job in their field, doing something they enjoy, being appreciated for their work, have a convenient commute, and make a reasonable wage.

That last part has a bit of taboo to it.

For whatever reason, employers are very secretive about sharing salaries with candidates. Why?

A part of me understands that when you post a salary or discuss it early on, you end up with candidates that are only in it for the money (if it’s good). I worked as a manager in retail and I get that the employees that are focused solely on how much they’re making tend to be mediocre at their work and/or have a sense of entitlement.

But, these people are honestly just a small percentage. There’s a stigma in the professional world around candidates that expect a certain wage. These individuals are viewed as greedy or overzealous. In reality, these people are just trying to live comfortably.

The fact is that, at the end of the day, we work for one sole purpose: to make a living. Without a steady flow of income, how would any of us survive?

The job candidates that have a set salary in mind more than likely are not some money-hungry person looking for a job that will support their designer handbag addiction. These people have figured up the cost of rent, utilities, food, insurance, student loan payments, etc.

Mind you, it’s pretty unlikely they’re thinking about anything but the basics. Sure, it would be great to have some disposable income, but what really matters is getting those bills paid.

So, when a job candidate turns down a job that comes with an extremely low salary, they aren’t ungrateful for the opportunity, they don’t feel self-entitled. They probably wouldn’t be able to pay their bills on that kind of salary.

No one in their right mind would take a job that wouldn’t pay the bills. Period.

But, millennials are often shamed for asking for too much money. Too many people don’t understand the financial constraints millennials are under. The rising price of an education, housing, and food are not matching job salaries, which don’t seem to be increasing at a comparable rate.

As previously mentioned, when it comes to the interview process, employers are very secretive about the salary. It often happens that a candidate doesn’t learn the salary of the position until they receive their offer letter. Sure, negotiating salary can happen at this point or even a bit before that.

But what happens when that salary is way below what the candidate needs to survive? Even with negotiating more, it’s likely they might not end up with what they need.

Now, the candidate is at a point where they have spent a lot of their time vying for a position that wasn’t worth it for them in the first place. They did extensive research on the company and they met with at least 3 different interviewers on 3 separate occasions. That takes time. Maybe they needed to take off work at their current job for these interviews. They paid the gas money to meet these people.

If they had known the salary was too low for them, they could have put that time and effort into a job that would provide more benefit. Instead, their time was wasted. Also, might I add, the time of the employer was wasted. Now they have the start the interview process all over again.

Changes need to happen. Salaries need to be discussed so the candidate and employer can come to a mutual understanding earlier on in the interview process. The stigma that candidates seeking a specified salary range simply out of greed needs to end. No one should feel shamed for wanting to do the right thing and pay their bills.

For those individuals that are money hungry, employers should be able to have the skills and know-how to differentiate between a greedy candidate and a motivated candidate. If not, it’s time to learn! It’s not fair to the truly great candidates to be judged based on the small percentage of poor candidates.