I feel like you're making it more difficult than it has to be. If your company is hiring a software engineer, but doesn't know: A) what salary you can afford

I feel like you're making it more difficult than it has to be. If your company is hiring a software engineer, but doesn't know: A) what salary you can afford B) what skills level you need (SE I, SE II, SE III) I would be worried about your company. If you feel you could pay up to $300,000 for someone with the right qualifications the problem is easily solved: > Software Engineer - Salary range: $100,000 - $300,000 dependent upon skills and work experience. BOOM! Super simple! If for some reason you have a posting for a position with the salary range moving between $80k - $500k, I would think you don't know what it is you're looking for in a candidate or what type of position you're trying to fill. That would really lead me to question the leadership of a company and wonder about the longevity of it as well.