If you're on the hunt for a new job but want to know the salary before you hit send on your application, then there's a handy tool you may want to use.
The website What's the Salary allows users to enter the URL of the Seek job listing into its software and it then produces the salary range.
Tony Lu, who developed the tool, explains that his website asks Seek if it can match the job that's being searched with a specific salary, for example, administration assistant with $45,000. If Seek can find a match, Lu's tool adds $1000 to the salary until a match is no longer found. Once Seek gives this negative response, the salary range is known.
The salary is based on what the recruiter or HR team sets, so if a range of $60,000-$80,000 is specified, then that's what his website will return to users.
Lu launched his website two years ago and says it took him two weeks to develop the backend of the tool and a few weekends to fine-tune the algorithm.
"I made the tool because I want to encourage recruiters and companies to be upfront with salaries. I'm hoping the tool could make a positive difference in how one applies for jobs in New Zealand and Australia," he tells Newshub.
"I used this as a learning opportunity for me to learn about the different cloud technology stacks involved to make this work. This is also my little way of leaving the world a better place than how I found it."
Seek's New Zealand country manager Rob Clark says the company encourages both hirers and candidates to use quality tools to find the right information when it comes to salary.
"We have a wealth of information on our seek.co.nz Career Advice page, which offers all sorts of tips and tricks on salaries, including job and salary trends, and salary advice," he tells Newshub in a statement.
"We use SEEK's salary job data to help inform the average salary band for different industries, which can act as guides for both hirers and candidates. These tools are all free and easily accessible on seek.co.nz. We would encourage businesses and employers to use these tools when hiring new talent, or rewarding existing talent."
Clark says the number of candidates who viewed a job ad on Seek and then went on to apply for a role has fallen by 15 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
"We understand that candidates are being more selective and are approaching new roles with caution. In fact, our research shows that 32 percent of Kiwis remain worried about their job security, and 14 percent have held back from changing jobs because of COVID-19."
This fall in applications isn't limited to one industry or region, he adds.
"There are staffing challenges in nearly every sector, with applications per job ad down in 18 of the 28 industries Seek monitors month-on-month for June."
