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How posted ranges really work
Inside most companies, a range midpoint represents "fully performing in this role" — new hires slot below it (room to grow), and the top third belongs to tenured people at the level. Transparency laws made the ranges public without changing that machinery, which is why the posted max functions as marketing more than as an offer.
A worked example
$80k–$120k posting, you meet essentially all requirements: realistic first offers cluster around $96k–$104k (the 40–60% zone). Your move: anchor at ~$112k with your evidence, be pleased in the zone, and treat an offer at $84k as the company telling you which half of the posting they meant. Feed the final numbers into the offer comparison calculator — base is only one line of an offer.
Reading suspicious ranges
$60k–$150k spans: multi-level postings — ask which level they're hiring for before investing interviews. Ranges where the max is barely above the min: honest, budget-locked, negotiate elsewhere in the offer (start date, PTO, sign-on). And a range far below your research on the market data: the posting is the answer; the interview won't change it.
Frequently asked questions
Where in a posted salary range do offers actually land?
Most first offers land between the bottom and the midpoint — companies protect the top half for internal equity and future raises. Meeting most requirements typically gets 40–55% of the way up the range; exceeding them, 50–70%. Top-of-range first offers are rare.
Why do companies post such wide ranges?
One posting often covers multiple levels ('Engineer II–III'), pay transparency laws require ranges without requiring narrow ones, and wide ranges preserve negotiating room. A range spanning 50%+ of its bottom number is usually two jobs wearing one posting.
Should I ask for the top of the posted range?
Anchor above where you expect to land, not necessarily at the ceiling: asking at 70–80% of the range with your evidence attached reads as informed; demanding the max with a résumé that matches the minimum reads as unserious. The decoder gives you the informed anchor.
What if my current pay is above their posted range?
Believe the range — it's usually a real budget ceiling. Either the role is junior to you, or the company pays below your market. Some flexibility exists via sign-on bonuses and title bumps, but planning to out-negotiate a posted ceiling by 20% usually wastes everyone's month.