VIEWPOINT IN A WAR FOR TALENT,
EVERYONE LOVES THE idea of a ‘fluffy’ culture in the workplace however, beanbags, ping pong tables and break-out areas for your staff won’t pay the mortgage. Take a moment to reflect, as being open about your company’s salaries and earning potential could be the key to attracting the most talented individuals to your business.
From my experience there is greater reward if you’re open and honest about the earning potential in the merchanting sector, let alone your business, and given the specialist nature of our industry and the niche sectors within it, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how many lucrative opportunities and career pathways there are.
Shout out
As an industry we are the world’s best kept secret – FACT. In my opinion, the merchant and construction sales sectors can open-up huge opportunities in buying, logistics, finance, sales, marketing, HR and technical support, along with a host of benefits that many new recruits are simply not aware of. Easy entry with opportunities to grow, merchanting also opens the door to many in-demand specialist skills such as bricks, timber, ground working, plant hire and tools, kitchens and bathrooms, to name just a few.
These evergreen markets are crying out for committed professionals and so we must find ways to reduce the skills gap and I believe this starts with promoting our industry as a lifelong career choice with endless opportunities. Put yourself in the shoes of the jobseeker for a moment. Our stars of tomorrow yearn for independence and a home of their own and so, financial freedom is a massive motivation. Would you honestly apply for a job if you don’t
16 MONEY TALKS! Peter Jones, managing drector, Foyne Jones Recruitment Group
is ‘dependent on experience’ is not going to allow anyone to plan for the future, apply for a mortgage or even pay for a weekly shop! Instead, it will simply deter experienced applicants, as well as anyone new to the industry as they don’t know what’s in it for them. We all know that we cannot learn and grow in business unless someone gives us a chance to prove ourselves, so if experience means so much to you, create your very own apprenticeship scheme and develop skills relevant to your organisation. See it as an investment in your business, sending a clear signal to your current employees… as well as the competition!
know what you would earn? Don’t keep this information to yourself, share it. Be upfront about basic salaries as this, along with earning potential and associated benefits should be included in every job advertisement. By doing this, you’ll be surprised by how much the potential candidate pool improves. As a recruiter, I always state that honesty is the best policy for clients and candidates and taking a ‘secret squirrel’ approach to salaries will often backfire, delay the recruitment process and actually deter many applicants. You don’t have to take my word for it. I believe in testing my ideas in the real world so my team and I recently ran a LinkedIn poll that received over 500,000 views on the topic of disclosing salaries pre- interview. I can share that 83% of voters believe transparency is key, and a salary should definitely be disclosed. Only 6% believed that salaries should remain confidential and the remaining 10% were on the fence, believing it depends on the role.
Our sector needs to be more transparent about wages at every level of a company to successfully attract and retain the best talent
and stars of the future. Time is increasingly precious for both the candidate and merchant, so don’t make it harder for yourself. Remove potential barriers from the very start.
The pandemic and the cost-of- living crisis has led to all sorts of creative, pre-selection initiatives to assist with recruitment, and my business is a strong advocate of video technology and digital introductions instead of traditional methods like a CV. The use of video is hugely beneficial, increasing the level of honesty and openness throughout the entire interview process. So… the longer a salary is kept a secret, the more room there is for disappointment and chance you will be let down last minute.
Act fast or lose out The strongest candidates are unlikely to wait around, especially if they can find out in seconds what else is available online and how much they can earn without meeting you first or even stepping one foot inside your business! Don’t be tempted to determine the level of pay during the interview as stating that a salary
Talk salaries
We need to make it okay when it comes to salary conversations during the hiring process. Be upfront about the salary from the very outset, tell the truth about pay reviews and perks, be honest about your expectations and take a two-way approach to communication to freely share thoughts, opinions and concerns they may have.
If you need to enlist a third- party recruiter, make sure you find out what their philosophies are about salary discussions. Make sure they understand your business, your sector and route to market. You are paying them to ask the difficult questions and cherry-pick the best candidates for you. Without this knowledge how can they support your business? If you’re not in alignment with your recruiter then just like potential candidates, you’ll end up out of pocket and unable to move forward.
Put simply, money talks when recruiting for your business. Be honest, open and show the salary! BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net November 2022
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