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Offering the right salary when making a job offer

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over 5 years ago

by Sarah Knight

Offering the right salary when making a job offer

​When making a job offer, it's important to make sure you pitch the salary at the right level. Offering a low or uncompetitive salary, to the best candidate you can find to hire, is short sighted.

​Whilst a candidate may still accept a job that pays less than they feel they are worth, that doesn’t mean that they will necessarily cancel other interviews or stop looking for other ‘better’ jobs. You risk them starting their new job with you feeling slightly disgruntled or undervalued.

Not the best start?

​With unemployment in the area still very low, candidates are in the driving seat – and are costly to replace. Make sure you are offering a fair and competitive salary and increase your chances of a loyal, hardworking and happy workforce.

What you need to do to make sure you offer a job with the right salary
  • Before starting the the recruitment process research what your competitors, or other companies, in the area are paying for roles similar to the one you’re recruiting for. Is what you are offering competitive?

  • Talk to the Sarah West Recruitment team who will happily give you an indication of salaries in the area and the ‘current value’ of a skill set in the area

  • Consider the salary range you’ve allocated for the vacancy. Be clear with regards to your expectations in return for the lowest and the highest salary in the salary scale and make this clear in any advertising, to your recruitment consultant and in any conversations you have with candidates at interview. Being clear at this stage prevents any misunderstanding later

  • Ask your recruiter to send over details of what candidates are currently earning and what they’re looking for with CVs. You can then make informed decisions as to whom to interview and use this information during the interview process to explore expectations further

  • If you are unable to offer a starting salary in line with the candidates expectations you could always agree set objectives and at what point the salary will be reviewed. This should motivate the prospective employee to gain the skills required in order to get the salary increase – and shows willing on your part.

Pay your team well and be a company that has a reputation for being a fair and fantastic employer in the area – that way you are more likely to have a happy and productive workforce that are likely to stick with you in the long term. You’ll also have the pick of the best candidates available.

If your a hiring manager or employer, you'll find lots more useful information on our website!

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