I happened to catch a webinar with Greg Doersching today on The Art of Attracting Candidates. Greg is an experienced recruitment trainer, and I always appreciate his practical, no-nonsense approach to the business. He is a favorite among our membership as well.
I think we’ve all heard at some point that salary is the prime driver for people looking for new career opportunities. Greg shared some advice he received years ago that states the job seekers are much more likely to consider job opportunities based on “happiness” factors. Job seekers compare whether a new role could improve their current happiness level, and while money certainly contributes to happiness, it’s not the most important factor. HOWEVER, it is the most objectively simple factor that does not require a lot of thought. As Greg said, “I’m currently making X, and I would like to make Y … does this opportunity pay Y?” If not, many candidates will exit from further consideration right off the bat. This can lead to a false impression that salary is the most important consideration.
In order of importance, the happiness factors for attracting candidates are:
- Quality of life—will the new role improve their quality of life? This could mean less stress, leaving a difficult environment, greater stability, or a number of other factors.
- More responsibility / new challenge(s)—does the new role offer increased responsibility, new challenges, the opportunity to learn a new skill? These are important considerations for a candidate’s on-the-job happiness.
- Chance to move their career forward—Candidates seeking a career progression will be attracted to opportunities to move their career forward. This can include lateral moves to a company that is more prestigious or offers a better career path.
- Closer to “home”—Consider things like a shorter commute, a different schedule, flexibility to coach a child’s sports team, a move closer to aging parents or other relatives, all things that allow someone more time at “home” with the people they love.
- Money—Salary, benefits, and other perks
As you can see, the first four options require thoughtful consideration by a candidate, perhaps conversations with other people. They’re not in a position to IMMEDIATELY discuss those items, especially if they don’t know much yet about your opportunity. Money, though, can be a quick up/down because if the available salary range doesn’t at least roughly correspond to the candidate’s desire, it’s often not worth spending the time to learn more.
The more you can create a story that focuses on the first four items, the more likely you are to engage potential candidates in meaningful conversations that don’t revolve around money. It is not unusual to accept a role with a lower-than-desired salary IF that is offset by something of higher value, like a shorter commute that allows more time with family. Attracting candidates is a multi-faceted process; make sure you deliver on the items that highly impact happiness.