As much of the industry is experiencing, the jobs market is busy whilst talent remains in demand. With so many fantastic opportunities across the industry, some job seekers will find themselves in a luxurious position with choice, whilst employers work to position themselves as competitively as possible. We’ve experienced this before and yet, we see the same mistakes being made with irrational counter-offer decisions, unraveling motivations, never told before deal-breakers, or misleading expectations. So here are some key lessons I encourage my network to consider:
Job Seekers
Why are you leaving really?
Take the time to fully understand your frustrations or challenges in your current job. Once these have been established, speak to your employers, and understand if there are possibilities to alleviate them internally before beginning your job search externally. I can’t express this enough; counteroffers are practically a given, so if you can see a future with your current employer and they can support you to get there, save GKR the time.
What are your deal-breakers?
You must identify and communicate from the very beginning exactly what it is, and isn’t, that you are looking for in your next role. Whilst I will always be an advocate of “exploring your options” to make the most informed decision, this only applies when every one of these options meets all your ideals. At most, this should probably look like 3-4 possibilities. At GKR, we can offer you credible advice and help you to reach your full potential if we are allowed to fully understand your goals. We cannot help those simply willing to consider 10+ “maybe options” that don’t all meet the mark, and simply weaken your chances of preparing effectively for the most suitable.
How do your options compare?
On behalf of yourself, your recruiter, and the possible employer; it is greatly beneficial to communicate your preferences honestly. As I’ve just detailed, each of your options should be for opportunities you know you would accept if offered, however, you might favor some more than others for reasons including their location, the environment, the working hours, salary, etc., and by sharing this information, expectations can be managed effectively. This does not weaken your chances because you WOULD like the job, and you WOULD accept if offered; it also provides your recruiter the opportunity to influence the process in favor of your first choice. It is additionally important to mention that all job parameters and guidelines should be transparent from the get-go, as should your expectations to each employer. Regardless of your “options”, they do not offer you the privilege to renegotiate at a later stage.
Employers
Why are you hiring really?
It might seem a silly question at first but what I am asking is, what are the impacts of your empty seat? Whether a fee earner or back-office superhero, there will be consequences if the workload is not managed, as well as wider repercussions to the business. Invest in your talent strategy and your relationship with recruitment partners consistently; by exploring exclusive relationships and retained searches, GKR can ensure your roles take top priority and offer you first refusal of the very best talent.
What are your deal-breakers?
I pose the same question to employers about your absolute must-haves, as well as your preferred ideals, but the two must be clearly separate. A good recruiter will have a much wider understanding of transferrable skill sets and trending shortages based on other success stories amongst your competitors, resulting in the widening of your talent pool and offering you a greater understanding of emerging trends industry-wide.
How strong is your relationship with your recruiter?
It would be naïve of any employer to believe that they might be the first choice every time, however, you can genuinely position yourselves to be the most competitive and sought-after, the more closely you work with your recruiter. With access to some of the most expensive tools and an international network, GKR has full visibility of your company’s hiring trends, attrition rates, retention periods, success stories, growth – you name it. We can also offer feedback on your hiring process and have been included in interview processes by our clients to support them with the shortlisting process. The more closely you work with your recruiter, the more they can invest themselves and their team’s time to support you to get it right every time.
