Why should job boards show the salary? Q&A with Sam Wilmot of Sam's Social Media Club

Launched by Sam Wilmot in 2020, Sam's Social Media Club is the leading jobs board for social media roles in the UK and internationally – and salary transparency has been a non-negotiable part of every job ad since day one.

Sam's Social Media Club is supporting the We Show the Salary campaign and Sam has joined us as an ambassador to encourage more job boards and employers to commit to showing the salary. Here Sam gives us his take on why salary info should be on every job ad.

Why is salary info an essential part of any job ad?

There are so many reasons, but to keep it simple: people need to know if a job can actually support their life. Including salary info saves time, builds trust, and shows that a company values fairness and transparency. Leaving it out just feels outdated.

It’s also key to closing the gender pay gap – if every job ad included salary details, it would be a huge step in the right direction.

And then there’s the talent piece. Whenever I run a poll on Instagram asking “Would you apply for a job without a salary listed?”, around 35–40% say they absolutely wouldn’t. That’s a huge pool of talent companies are missing out on. It’s absolute madness to me!

"Including salary info saves time, builds trust, and shows that a company values fairness and transparency. Leaving it out just feels outdated."

What trends are you noticing when it comes to salary transparency on job ads?

Honestly, it’s up and down. Some days it feels like we’re making real progress – especially in parts of the UK market – but other days, it’s like nothing has changed at all.

I’ve looked at job listings every single day for the past five years, and if I’m being totally honest, there hasn’t been a huge amount of change overall. That’s exactly why this campaign matters so much – the needle really does need to start moving in salary transparency's favour.

How can job boards play a role in making salary transparency the norm?

Job boards set the standard – and we have more power than we think. If more job boards refused to post ads without salary info, it would force companies to rethink their approach.

At Sam’s Social Media Club, we made the decision early on to only publish roles that include clear salary details. No vague 'competitive' nonsense. It sends a message to employers and jobseekers alike: transparency isn’t optional, it’s expected.

If enough platforms took the same stance, it wouldn’t just be the norm - it would be non-negotiable.

"We made the decision early on to only publish roles that include clear salary details. No vague 'competitive' nonsense. It sends a message to employers and jobseekers alike: transparency isn’t optional, it’s expected."

What do you say to employers who want to post an ad with your job board without including salary info?

We say no – politely but firmly. Salary transparency isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a requirement.

We’re more than happy to help employers frame the salary info in the right way, but we don’t make exceptions. If you want to attract the best talent and show you’re serious about fairness and inclusion, sharing the salary is the bare minimum.

It’s 2025 – jobseekers expect it. So do we.