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> So the companies are legitimately balking at this because they'll have to pay their existing employees more if they put out an attractive posting....

Let's phrase this properly: companies are balking because they'll have to pay existing employees market rate.

100%

Not really. Employees aren’t stupid. If they are paid below market they are a serious flight risk, especially in today’s tight labor market. We thus raise valued employee’s compensation to keep up with market.

If they're asking your number and you're not being straight forward, what's the problem?

Them: "What's your number"? You: "$350k." Them: "Ok, cool lets move forward." or "That's a lot of money and we can't pay that much. Thanks for meeting with us."

I'm assuming that you've done your homework and know what a reasonable top of the range is. If that's the case, just say what your number is and let them decide if it's too much.

The candidate has just as much if not more ambiguity and uncertainty as the employer, so why is the burden on the candidate?

It's very possible for a candidate to be thinking something like "I'm currently making $200K. I think it's possible I could get $300K, but $250K would probably be acceptable, and I might even settle for a lateral move of $200K if I find the position really appeals to me." What should they say? $300K and possibly price themselves out? $200K and possibly lowball themselves?

Really just seems like candidates don't want to do these negotiation process.

I was surprised with how much I was able to get away with negotiating my first tech job. It was a little bit of back and forth, a recruiter was involved, and I could just poker face my way into a six-figure job.

If they say 200k are you want to just say 250k and see if you get it.

Like everything it's just quicker and easier if you rip off the band-aid and just do it.

Interviewers/recruiters who don’t quickly screen out salary mismatches get fired by management for wasting management’s time.

There's also option c they say your number is in range, go tough the interview carousel and lowball you at the end

>> If they're not doing that, they're wasting your time and their time.

>Actually, they're getting paid for the their time. I'm not. I'm actually burning my time.

nit: "they" refers to the business, not the employee conducting the interview.

> wow, 185k, that's awesome" & they'll figure it out that the company was willing to pay upto 350k for the same work.

I’m nowhere near the Bay Area, I know what Bay Area salaries are by looking at publicly available sites.

I also know while I never made above $160K until starting at my first “FAANG” two years ago working remotely, there is no way in hell I would accept less than $250K - $300K to ever give up my big house in the burbs in a much lower cost of living area and that’s only because my kids have already graduated and my wife and I could stay in a smaller place and not worry about the school system.

Well I personally would never work a job where I had to go into an office again.