When you need to fill a role on Get on Board with someone who is not actively looking, the acquisition salary is the higher end of your compensation range — the number that gives a comfortably employed professional a reason to move.
When to reach for the acquisition end
- Urgent hires: you cannot wait for active candidates to find the posting.
- Competing offers: the candidate already has options on the table.
- Hard-to-fill roles: scarce skills or seniority where supply is thin.
Reaching a passive candidate means beating what they already earn, so the acquisition number usually sits above the market median rather than at it.
Acquisition salary vs. retention salary
An acquisition salary attracts new people; a retention salary keeps current people from leaving. The acquisition value is the ceiling of a competitive range, and the retention value is its floor. Knowing both helps you decide how aggressively to pay for a given hire.
How Insights Pro shows this
Insights Pro reports include an Acquisition value for each role profile, inside the “Salary ranges that attract market response” card. It is shown as a gross monthly figure in USD and reflects what successful job postings actually offered, refreshed quarterly.
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