Largest pay rise I ever got, was when my employer accidentally published the "internal/official/never-published" salary for my role. Quick trip to HR brandishin

Largest pay rise I ever got, was when my employer accidentally published the "internal/official/never-published" salary for my role. Quick trip to HR brandishing a print-out, and I got a 25% bump within the week. Of course, that only worked as I was seemingly good at my job, and my employer needed to get the head-count up. (and I might have muttered that if this got out, I guessed they'd have a lot of disgruntled people) Other reason they're kept hidden, is that (at least in my industry) a fair number of positions are filled with specialist recruiters. They are made aware of salary guidelines the employer is willing to pay and also have a rough idea of what people on their books are wanting. They prove their value to employers by filling interview sessions with the best people at the lowest cost.