A posted range of $50,000 to $180,000 tells you almost nothing
The 55 Interview Answers That Get People Hired gives you the framing to handle salary conversations with confidence, wide range or not.
Pay transparency laws were supposed to make salary negotiation clearer.
In a lot of cases, companies are complying with the letter of the law by posting ranges so wide they say almost nothing useful.
A senior role listed at $85,000 to $142,000 is somewhat informative. A role listed at $50,000 to $550,000 is technically compliant and practically useless.
Why This Is Happening
The laws generally require a "good faith" range, but there's little enforcement or penalty for a range that's unreasonably wide
Some companies genuinely don't know what they'll pay until they see who applies, and a wide range covers every possible outcome
A wide range protects the company from ever technically posting something inaccurate, regardless of who they actually intend to hire
How to Use a Vague Range Anyway
Treat the top of the range with healthy skepticism
The advertised maximum is rarely what's offered to a typical candidate. It usually reflects an unusual, best-case scenario, not the standard outcome.
Research market rate independently before you rely on the posting alone
Sites that aggregate real reported salaries for a specific role, level, and location give you a more grounded number than the posting itself.
Ask directly, early in the process
I noticed the posted range is fairly broad. Could you share more about where a candidate with my background would typically land within it?
This is a completely normal, professional question, and a reasonable recruiter will usually give you a narrower, more honest answer than the posting itself.
Anchoring Your Ask Despite a Vague Range
Rather than anchoring to their wide range, anchor to your own researched number.
Based on my experience with [specific skill or achievement] and current market rates for similar roles, I'm targeting something in the range of [your researched number]. Is that in line with what you have budgeted for this role?
This puts a specific, credible number on the table instead of letting a deliberately vague posting set the terms of the conversation.
Final Thought
A wide posted range isn't necessarily dishonest, but it also isn't the useful information pay transparency laws were meant to provide.
Treat it as a starting point for a direct conversation, not a reliable answer on its own.
Prepare for the Conversation, Not Just the Number
The 55 Interview Answers That Get People Hired gives you clear structures for salary conversations, so you're anchoring to your own value, not whatever range a posting happens to show.
Why 2 Out of 3 People Don't Negotiate Their Offer (and Regret It)
The one calm sentence that opens the conversation, and what happens if they say no.
Should You Negotiate Your Start Date? (It's Not Just About Salary)
Start date is one of the most overlooked, easiest things to negotiate.
Have You Seen a Suspiciously Wide Salary Range?
Reply and tell me what it was. It may become the next OwnerPath guide.