Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting – Part Two – Turn Browsers into Buyers

Last week we published the first of two short articles on the topic of motivating change within the recruitment process in order to attract the best IT talent.

We looked at the way in which economic uncertainty, candidate inertia and a buoyant demand for key skills mean that many candidates are happy to stay in their current roles. Don’t worry if you missed it, you can catch up by reading the article here.

The internet has made it incredibly easy for candidates to look for new roles, something those who are serious about their careers must do on an ongoing basis. The freedom of information enabled by the internet also means that it has never been easier to keep up to date with the current job market in terms of salaries, new vacancies and the demand for certain skills. The abundance of information makes the market incredibly transparent.

Many candidates use this information as a barometer for their careers; to confirm their salary is in the right range or to identify which skills they should be developing but every now and then the same candidates will browse job boards and, whilst they may not be actively considering changing roles, they may be persuaded to apply if the new role is attractive enough. The question is; how much better than their existing job does the new role need to be in order to turn those browsers into potential buyers?

The first assumption for most recruiters is that simply offering a salary slightly larger than the one a candidate is currently receiving will be enough to secure their services. However, that is not the case.

Some academic types say that in order to motivate change something has to be 20% better than the average. In terms of IT recruitment that doesn’t necessarily mean just mean offering 20% above the average salary.

IT contractors and IT staff, particularly the next generation, are more likely to value intangible factors when considering new roles, things like; the working environment, company culture, recognition of their efforts, the chance to work with developing technologies, the likelihood of regular and fresh challenges, the company brand, projects the company is involved with or has historically been involved with, opportunities for career progression and even the opportunity for travel.

All of these factors should be actively communicated in your company literature, by your current employees and by your job adverts. Ultimately financial considerations will still be the overriding factor when considering a new role but that doesn’t mean it should be the only carrot on your stick.

Let us know your thoughts on this topic by joining in the conversation on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/langleyjames) or on Twitter (@ITrecruitment).

To find out how Langley James can help you to motivate change and streamline your IT recruitment process please contact us on  0845 124 9555 or langleyjames@langleyjames.com