Why Don’t We Have Salaries in Our Job Postings?

Venor doesn’t always disclose salaries in our job postings. Read on to learn what Venor Co-Founder Craig Coady has to say about disclosing ranges and transparency within the hiring landscape.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of LinkedIn content lately that’s calling for employers to include salaries in their job postings. And I get the sentiment – don’t waste someone’s time in applying and potentially going through several interviews, only to learn you are not on the same page regarding compensation. Absolutely, makes sense. So why not just list the salary so everyone knows it before they decide to engage?

As a talent acquisition firm, we do post salary ranges when they are firmly depicted by the client. For example, our public sector clients have specific pay bands for specific roles, and no amount of credentials or negotiating is going to change that. So we gladly post those so that candidates know when applying.

The range isn’t firm

The majority of our clients are private sector / entrepreneurial clients where the salary isn’t a firm range that’s carved in stone. The company usually has a target range in mind with a certain number of years of experience. However, they may make exceptions. For example, a company may have a range in mind for an intermediate to senior software developer around $90-110k. They see themselves getting someone strong and experienced in that range. Part of our role as Recruitment Consultants is to go through their expectations and advise them if their range is realistic. In today’s uber-competitive market, companies have to trust that we are having these conversations with prospective candidates on a daily basis and have a very current understanding of talent expectations. Sometimes $90-110k works, depending on the employer brand, tech stack, and other perks. And sometimes that range is well short of market realities.

Salaries are changing in real-time, especially in tech, and some elite companies have almost unlimited budgets to attract the absolute best talent in the world. So, some talent who consider themselves in that top 5% plan to hold out for exceptional pay. Others just want fair market value based on what their peers are getting (but these are peers they regard highly, who should already be paid well). So we have to get companies to depict where they plan to land on a pay band and where they would make exceptions.

The interview process has a big influence on the offer

Perhaps that same employer with $90-110k in mind would consider going to $120 or even 130k for someone they feel very bullish about. Maybe a candidate is assessed technically as being very productive and efficient in the company’s codebase, suggesting they can produce more high-quality code in a shorter amount of time than other candidates interviewed. But if we had listed the salary as $90-110k, that candidate would not have engaged. We regularly see candidates negotiate higher than the client’s initial range because of the value they demonstrated in the hiring process. It would have been a disservice to everyone to start with very rigid ranges.

While I prefer to dig into other areas of fit, interest, and aspiration first during an initial candidate call before getting into money, I do get some pointed email responses that cut right to the chase. Prospects say ‘Craig, the opportunity sounds interesting but I’m only looking at opportunities that are $130k+. Will your client pay that?’, to which I may reply, ‘thanks for the candor. If the interview goes well, then I expect with your experience that we can meet your expectations’. We arrange a call or meeting from there.

As recruiters, we aren’t being evasive or coy on the dreaded salary discussion. It’s just not always black or white. If I reach out to you for a chat, rest assured I admire what you appear to bring to the table and will be respectful of your time. We won’t be successful for long as a recruitment firm if the talent doesn’t believe that we have their interests in mind and are promoting competitive compensation.”

Interested in weighing in? Join the discussion on LinkedIn.

Our recruiters are always open to discussing hiring trends and changes in the local market – reach out to learn more.

Headhunted Candidates are NOT Applicants. Here’s why.

OK, so full transparency, I started writing this post months ago. But then COVID-19 happened, and I got distracted by other priorities. That being said, given what’s happened to the Canadian hiring market and, more specifically, what clients perceive has happened to the hiring market, this topic feels more relevant than ever.

Here at Venor, we focus on building authentic relationships with both our clients and candidates. We do that by giving our clients real market data, even if those insights reveal they only need our services for some roles but not others. Atlantic Canada is a relatively small and insular employment ecosystem. One we know very well because we invest the time it takes to identify and cultivate the elite talent within it. That means learning what makes each potential candidate tick, sensing what sort of roles will resonate, and understanding their expectations. Doing this takes a whole lot of time and even more energy. But it’s essential.

Why? Because, now more than ever, relationships matter. I know which candidates will take a call from me about an opportunity they would otherwise dismiss. That sense of trust is why our team can get the ‘Top 5%’ so many of our clients clamour for. And it’s also why employers need to ensure their candidate experience is top-notch. Keeping the following three things in mind can help you do just that.

A headhunted candidate isn’t looking for a new job.

When you, as an employer, hang out your shingle and encourage candidates to apply to you directly, you’re essentially saying, “This is our hiring process. By applying, you’re saying you’re interested and agreeing to adhere to it. We can’t give you any information on when we want to interview, which stakeholders will be involved or what the culture and remuneration look like just yet, but if we think you’re a strong candidate, we’ll gladly give you more info later on down the line.”

Conversely, when I’m reaching out to top talent, they’re often highly discerning about new opportunities. They often have no shortage of options and may have made a move or two in the past that has made them skeptical about just how green the grass is elsewhere. It’s my job to sell them on your opportunity. If I believe there’s a fit there, I tell them your story in a way that resonates with their values. I take the time to answer questions about things like your company’s vision, how the role plays into that vision, what they can expect in terms of compensation, work-life balance, career advancement, and so on. I also flag what potential challenges they can expect, temper expectations for a long-term fit and, ultimately, do my very best to leave them psyched at the end of it all.

Basically, I take a passive job seeker and make them an enthusiastic one. Then I hand them over to you.

Having a great candidate experience is everything.

What do I mean by ‘candidate experience’? I mean how a candidate feels about your company once they experience your hiring process. Effective hiring processes understand the importance of creating positive candidate experiences and building authentic relationships with people, not skimming resumes.

If a successful marriage is going to occur, there has to be some compromise on both sides. You can’t expect potential candidates to wait weeks for engagement—they’ll have mentally checked out by them. You probably shouldn’t expect them to take a technical test or complete other exercises before you meet them either. Quality hires need more first-hand information before they’re willing to invest the time. While it’s true they need to show you they have the required skills and are genuinely interested, there needs to be mutual courtship at this time. If your tone is transactional, slow-moving or disorganized, your modest chances of obtaining their talents go down. Fast.

That being said, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, so you may be dealing with limited resources. No problem. Just tell your recruiter so they can keep these valuable leads warm on your behalf.

COVID-19 has not made attracting top talent any easier

If you think this pandemic has led to an abundance of top talent or that you have additional luxuries in scrutinizing and timing, you’re mistaken. If anything, COVID-19 has made recruiting harder. Today’s candidates are more appreciative of what they have, more reluctant to embrace risk, and less tolerant of being under-appreciated. Plus, if you give elite talent a poor recruiting experience (especially in a market as small as ours), you’re potentially undermining any future hiring efforts.

As a company, you’re investing in our services because you recognize the challenges in securing this type of talent. So, trust that the Venor team has your best interests in mind when we advise you to give extra consideration to an elusive profile.

How COVID-19 May Drive Economic Growth in the Maritimes

Ok, so it’s not feeling that way right now. Plenty of people have been financially impacted here in Atlantic Canada and, even though we might be feeling a bit better now that the summer weather is here and we can finally get out to (safely) mingle a bit, the road to economic recovery remains long and daunting. In the meantime, people are wondering what the ‘new normal’ will ultimately look like. Well, the early projections suggest that the new normal could see the Maritimes come out of this with some increased competitive advantages.

The virtual workforce is on the rise, from the historical 30% of people working remotely to north of 50% expected. Rented commercial office space will continue to decline as companies and staff effectively adjust to video conferencing and other means of remaining productive from home. People are going to start enjoying that freedom, the less structured, less corporate feeling, as they manage their days from home. Knowledge-based professionals in particular are going to want to enjoy their lives more, coming out of this with a new appreciation for flexibility and work-life balance. More freelancers will emerge, looking to dictate their own hours or plan their lifestyle around completing projects, rather than the more rigid 9 – 5 expectations.

It is also expected that talent will care less about working for a marquee brand or market disruptor and more about the company’s social responsibility. As economic disparity widens, social activism will increase and discerning candidates will want to know what a company stands for, what their values are, and if they truly are living those values. Companies will need to embrace those expectations to cater to the talent demands.

The global shift may see new nations emerge as economic powerhouses and political tensions increase. Those tensions among countries, along with additional threats of COVID-19, may reduce immigration between certain countries, as we have already seen with recent US visa suspensions. In the meantime, leisure travel will also subside. People are preparing to plant roots so they can enjoy more quality of life in their own backyard, while also experiencing less volatility.

We had already been seeing more and more professionals relocate to Atlantic Canada over the last few years to enjoy an improved quality of life along our ocean coastline, with our beautiful landscapes, warm hospitality, reduced commutes, balance of rural and urban lifestyle, and lower housing costs. With an increasingly virtual world, talent ecosystems will be catered to by employers globally who adapt to meet expectations of elite talent. While remote working will see less of a need for bricks and mortar offices to follow, organizations may choose to invest in our region to make their brands more prevalent and accessible to talent they want to attract. The way we do business is transforming, being on board with that transformation and willing to adapt your usual policies will be a key element in the hiring success of your company and the economic prosperity of Atlantic Canada.

As the lines between the regional ecosystems blur and the global talent ecosystem becomes more the norm, the lifestyle advantages we already enjoy here may see Atlantic Canada may become that much more important to the virtual workforce of tomorrow.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2020/04/17/how-2020-is-ushering-in-a-new-era-for-corporate-social-responsibility/#6698920276f8

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/world-after-virus-20-changes-enrique-quemada/?published=t#share-modal

https://halifaxpartnership.com/research-strategy/halifax-index-2020/

https://www.novascotiabusiness.com/invest/ocean-lifestyle