The salary in the ad is always a jumping off point for negotiations. They can go always lower than that if they feel like you don't meet the criteria given in a

The salary in the ad is always a jumping off point for negotiations. They can go always lower than that if they feel like you don't meet the criteria given in ad, or higher if you're particularly attractive. But, at least, it gives the ballpark. Personal anecdote - for the past couple of years, I've complelety stopped applying to offers which don't advertise salary. My salary expectations are at the top end of the market and, I've found, if the companies are willing to pay as much, they usually put it in the job ad, as it draws more candidates. And conversely, if the company doesn't advertise their salary, it's usually because it's "market level" or below, i.e. nothing to brag about. There are of course exceptions such as FAANGs, where they don't have to advertise their high salaries because they're practically public information anyway.