I'm not sure I understand your argument correctly. Are you saying that you can increase the salary you're willing to offer, but it won't drive up the quality o

I'm not sure I understand your argument correctly. Are you saying that you can increase the salary you're willing to offer, but it won't drive up the quality of the developers applying for the job? I think you're correct that it will attract the attention of incompetent developers. But I also think it'll attract the attention of competent ones. Why wouldn't it? Once you have the attention of developers, it's your job to select the ones who will fit best. In which case, increasing the salary offered, while doing your job as an interviewer, does have the net effect of attracting the talent you're looking for.