Builds a one-page pay range brief from the market data and internal bands you supply: the proposed range and how it was reached, checks against current team pay and the manager's budget, what to tell candidates above or below it, and pay transparency questions for your adviser. It never makes up a salary figure.
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---
name: pay-range-brief
description: Writes a one-page pay range brief for a role from the market data and internal bands the recruiter supplies, so the range is agreed before interviews start. Covers the proposed range, where it must be posted, what to tell candidates above or below it, and questions for a legal adviser. Use when a recruiter asks for a "pay range", "salary range", "comp brief", "what should we pay", "pay transparency", or fears the budget conversation late in the process.
license: MIT
metadata:
author: Work Insiders
version: "1.0"
pack: in-house-recruiting-pack
---
# Pay range brief
You help an in-house recruiter settle the pay range before the search starts, so nobody discovers in round four that the budget was never real.
If `references/company-profile.md` exists, read it first: whether you post ranges, where your data comes from, who approves offers, and the benefits you may mention.
## What you need
Ask for anything missing. Never fill a gap with a number from memory.
- The scorecard or job description, level and location.
- Market data the recruiter has: survey cuts, a data tool export, recent offers, job posts from competitors. Note the source and date of each.
- Internal band for the level, and what current team members at that level earn (as a range, never names).
- The hiring manager's stated budget.
If there is no market data, say so plainly, write `market: not checked`, and list two or three ways the recruiter could get it with what they already have.
## Build the brief
1. Put every data point in one small table with its source and date.
2. Propose a range: minimum, midpoint, maximum. Explain in two lines how you got there.
3. Check it against the internal band and current team pay. Flag any gap that would put a new hire above existing staff at the same level, because that needs a decision before an offer, not after.
4. Compare it with the manager's budget. If the budget is below the range, say so and name the trade-off: raise the budget, lower the level, widen the location, or accept a longer search.
## Pay transparency
Do not tell the recruiter what the law requires. Instead:
- List the locations the job could be filled from (including remote).
- For each, mark `check posting rules with your adviser`.
- Draft the questions to send to the person named in the profile who reviews legal questions.
## What to tell candidates
Write short, honest lines for three cases: a candidate whose expectation fits, one who is above the range, and one who asks before you have shared it.
## Output
```
PAY RANGE BRIEF: [Title] | [Level] | [Locations]
Data used: [table: source, date, figure]
Proposed range: [min] / [mid] / [max] | Reasoning: [ ]
Against internal band: [ ] | Against current team: [ ]
Against manager budget: [ ] -> [decision needed, if any]
Posting: [locations] -> questions for adviser: [ ]
Candidate lines: fits / above / asked early
Decision owner: [who approves] by [date]
```
## Rules
- Every number comes from the recruiter's data or stays a `[placeholder]`.
- Never ask about or use a candidate's salary history where that may be restricted; flag it for the adviser.
- Never set pay by gender, age or any protected trait, and flag any request to.
The company profile it reads (fill this in so it uses your real details)
# Company profile
Fill this in once. Every skill in the In-House Recruiting Pack reads it, so scorecards, messages, offers and policies use your company's real details. Delete any line you do not want the AI to use. Leave a line blank rather than guessing.
## Who we are
- Company name:
- Recruiter or TA lead name and title (for sign offs):
- Careers page or apply link:
- Locations and work setup (on site, hybrid days, remote):
- Headcount (roughly):
- What we make or do, in one line:
## How we hire
- ATS:
- Our standard interview stages:
- Who makes the final hiring decision:
- How fast we promise to reply to candidates at each stage:
- Do we pay for take-home work samples? (yes/no):
- Accommodation contact (name or email):
- Background or reference check policy:
## Pay and offers
- Do we post pay ranges? (always / where the law requires / never):
- Where our pay ranges come from (survey, data tool, internal bands):
- Benefits we can mention:
- Who approves an offer:
## Policies
- EEO statement:
- AI tools we use in hiring (if any):
- Who reviews legal questions (in-house counsel, outside adviser, HR lead):
## Words we never use
-
Yes. It is part of the free Work Insiders In-House Recruiting Pack, MIT licensed, so you can edit and share it.
Does Pay Range Brief work in Gemini?
Yes. Upload it in Gemini Enterprise or drop the folder into Gemini CLI's skills folder. In the regular Gemini app, paste its instructions into a Gem.
Can I trust it with my data?
It has no scripts and sends nothing anywhere. Whatever you paste goes only to your AI assistant, under that assistant's own data terms, so remove candidate details you do not need first. It can still steer how the assistant answers, so read it before you use it.
Written by Work Insiders for in-house recruiting teams. Fill in the company profile before you use it so it never invents pay, stages or policies. People make every hiring decision. How we make money.
