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When and how should I bring up the compensation aspect during the recruitment process?
As Belgians, we often tend to treat compensation as an uncomfortable or even taboo topic. However, compensation remains a key factor for many candidates when considering a new role. Completely avoiding the conversation is rarely in the interest of an efficient and transparent recruitment process, but approaching it too early or too rigidly can also be counterproductive.
If compensation is an important criterion for you, we recommend not waiting too long to bring up the topic, without necessarily arriving at a concrete number straight away. In many cases, one or more conversations are needed to properly assess a candidate’s relevant experience, responsibilities and added value. Only then can an appropriate and market-aligned compensation package be determined.
By giving an early, indicative view of your compensation expectations, you avoid wasting time, for both yourself and the employer, while still leaving room for nuance and adjustment as the process evolves. This helps prevent the frustration of completing an entire recruitment process only to discover at the end that expectations are too far apart.
When working with a recruiter at YouConnect, this becomes even easier. We benchmark your financial expectations against the market as well as the specifics of the role. We help position expectations realistically and can already check them with the employer at an early stage, with respect for the fact that further discussions may be needed to arrive at a final and correct offer.
Moreover, the transposition of the European Pay Transparency Directive into Belgian law is approaching, with a deadline of 7 June 2026. One of the key provisions is that employers will no longer be allowed to ask candidates about their current or past compensation. Of course, candidates remain free to share this information voluntarily; for example, it could work to your advantage if you are already well compensated today. The main objective is to prevent candidates who were previously underpaid due to discrimination from being disadvantaged again in the future.
What employers are still allowed to ask is your financial expectation, so be prepared for that question. The directive also provides candidates with a right to information: applicants have the right to receive information about the starting salary or salary range for the role, enabling informed and transparent salary negotiations.
Do you have a question yourself or a specific situation you’d like advice on? Feel free to reach out. In our next article, we’ll dive into another recognisable question. Stay tuned!
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