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Recruitment Glossary

Depends on experience (DOE)

Depends on experience, often shortened to DOE, is wording used when the precise starting pay has not been fixed for every appointable candidate and will be set within an approved framework using relevant experience or capability. It should not replace a genuine pay range or a defined decision process.

Recruiter Focus

Recruiters should know the minimum and maximum available, currency, period, location, level flexibility, and which observable factors affect placement. Candidates need enough information to judge the opportunity and understand whether experience changes starting position, job level, package components, or all three.

Why Depends on experience (DOE) Matters

DOE can preserve flexibility when several experience levels are genuinely acceptable. Used alone, it shifts information risk to the candidate, discourages applications, makes comparisons difficult, and gives negotiators excessive discretion. Asking about previous salary instead of valuing the role can also perpetuate unequal pay.

Terms Recruiters Commonly Compare

Negotiable salary

DOE says relevant experience or capability influences the starting amount. Negotiable salary indicates that discussion itself may change the offer. Either approach still needs an approved range and consistent decision factors.

Fixed salary

A fixed starting salary offers the same approved amount for the role or intake, subject to lawful requirements. DOE leaves some placement discretion within a defined framework.

Recruitment Example

A consultancy can appoint a security consultant at either intermediate or senior level. The advert publishes both salary bands and explains the evidence that distinguishes them: independent client ownership, scope of technical decisions, mentoring responsibility, and relevant certifications. The recruiter records the agreed level before making the offer rather than using “DOE” to negotiate from the candidate’s current pay.

Implementation Playbook

  • Publish the approved range or separate ranges when more than one level is genuinely open.
  • Define the experience evidence that affects placement, including relevance, depth, scope, recency, outcomes, and transferable capability rather than years alone.
  • Use a consistent offer-positioning record and route exceptions through the authorised pay process.
  • Explain whether the role level, title, duties, bonus target, or benefits change at different points in the range.

Common Mistakes

  • Advertising only “salary DOE” when the employer has an approved budget or local transparency obligation.
  • Treating longer tenure as automatically more valuable than relevant scope and results.
  • Setting pay from salary history or negotiating confidence instead of the role framework.
  • Using one wide range to cover several jobs without explaining the level at which a candidate is being assessed.

Metrics to Track

Starting-pay placement by evidence factor Offer exceptions outside approved range Candidate withdrawals before pay disclosure

Questions Recruiters Ask

What does DOE mean in a job advert?

It means “depends on experience”. The employer intends to determine starting pay using relevant experience or capability, but should still state the available range and explain the factors used.

Is DOE the same as unlimited salary negotiation?

No. The organisation should have a budget, range, authority, and evidence framework. A candidate’s negotiation style should not replace consistent role valuation.

Can years of experience determine a DOE offer?

Years may provide context but are a weak measure on their own. Consider relevance, scope, complexity, outcomes, autonomy, current capability, and equivalent evidence.

Sources and Review

ATZ CRM Recruitment Editorial Review · Reviewed 2026-08-05

CIPD: Inclusive recruitment guide CIPD: Pay structures and pay progression

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