Are You Meeting Finance Candidates’ Pay Expectations?

Part of the challenge in hiring finance candidates is meeting their pay expectations. Although many candidates have realistic ideas of pay ranges, some expectations may be too high or too low. Rather than turning to other candidates for interviews, take the time to decide whether a candidate whose pay expectations are outside your range may be worth considering after all. Here are some ways to do so.

What to Do When Pay Expectations Are Too High

If a candidate’s pay expectations are beyond your range, you want to avoid wasting anyone’s time by keeping them interested in the role. However, don’t give up on pursuing the candidate. Instead, send the candidate an email thanking them for their interest in the position. Let the candidate know their target salary is outside your range for the position. Share that if the candidate’s target isn’t firm, you’d like to discuss the role further. Otherwise, you don’t want to waste their time. Provide your pay range so the candidate can decide how to proceed. They might be able to go a bit lower in their pay expectations.

What to Do When Pay Expectations Are Too Low

If a candidate’s pay expectations are well below your range, you might be tempted to think the candidate won’t be a good fit for the position. However, keep in mind that previous pay is not an indication of a candidate’s true value. Because it’s hard to know which pay range is appropriate for a certain role, companies don’t always properly compensate employees. As a result, being paid below-market-rate doesn’t mean you should dismiss the candidate. Instead, find out whether they can perform the work according to expectations. Or, rather than asking about pay expectations, tell candidates your range upfront. Let them know that pay depends on specific skills and experience, then ask whether they’re still interested in the role.

How to Provide Context Before Discussing Pay Expectations

If your company doesn’t like including pay expectations in job postings, and some overqualified candidates may be looking for higher pay than you’re offering, you might dismiss the thought of calling them for an interview. However, consider meeting with overqualified candidates to discuss details of the role and benefits. Since they know little about the position before talking with you, they don’t understand the responsibilities, pressures, hours, or other information that affects pay expectations. After gaining a better understanding of these factors, candidates are in a better position to decide what their pay expectations should be and whether to move ahead in the recruiting process.

Set Reasonable Pay Expectations

Set reasonable pay expectations with help from Casey Accounting & Finance Resources. As a top Rolling Meadows employment agency, we understand the current job market. We find you qualified finance candidates, set up interviews, and help negotiate adequate pay expectations. Contact us to get started today.

4 Reasons Employee Retention Should Be a Top Priority in 2020

Given the costs involved with recruiting, employee retention needs to be among your biggest priorities. An effective retention plan fosters engagement, creates an authentic company culture, and shows you value what your employees care about most. Here are four reasons employee retention needs to be a top priority in 2020.

Employee Retention Conserves Resources

Retaining employees saves time and money. With the salary spent on HR and other departments involved in the hiring process, as well as the reduced productivity and output a new hire brings to a role, you could spend 6-9 months’ salary each time you replace a salaried employee. Even worse, replacing high-level employees can cost in excess of 150% of their salary. More hours spent advertising openings, reviewing resumes, interviewing candidates, and contacting references means less time for other tasks.

Supported Employees Remain Loyal

When you provide employee support as part of your retention plan, staff remain loyal to your company longer. Team members who feel valued, appreciated, and connected to your organization are less likely to leave when recruiters call or opportunities come up. Supported employees feel trusted, autonomous and engaged. They’re responsible for making a variety of decisions, receive constructive real-time feedback and have their contributions recognized. Staff who have support are well compensated, listened to and offered ongoing professional development opportunities. They’re treated with respect, offered opportunities to advance and given challenges to move their career forward.

Employee Turnover Is Contagious

When one employee leaves, others may feel encouraged to follow suit. This is especially true if a new hire starts work and finds out team members have been around for a short period of time. If the staff doesn’t stay very long, new hires might not feel encouraged to stay either. Because people are social creatures, we talk about almost everything. If there are significant issues affecting your team’s cohesion, teammates will discuss it. As problems increase in size because they’re not dealt with, employees feel encouraged to leave for a better work environment. In contrast, being welcomed to the team by employees who’ve been with the company for years and love working for you provide new hires confidence that they made the right decision in coming to work for the business.

Employees Get Stressed by Turnover

Turnover is stressful on your team. This is especially detrimental when teammates’ friends leave the company. Team members often leave because they miss working with people that they spend time with outside the office. Having significant numbers of employees leave affects collaboration and culture. Teammates feel stressed because of pressure to take on additional responsibilities, resulting in less time to perform their own work. To combat this issue, offer remote work options, additional paid time off, and other methods for reducing stress.

Hire Top Accounting and Finance Employees

Hire top finance and accounting professionals through Casey Accounting & Finance Resources. As a leading Rolling Meadows staffing firm, we fill your direct-hire, temp-to-hire and temporary staffing needs. Contact our leading finance recruiters today.

2020 Accounting and Finance Salary Survey Available!

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources has compiled updated salary data for the fields of accounting and finance. With the start of 2020 now passed and the recruitment industry getting busy, having the most up-to-date information is vital!

With compensation trends changing on a monthly basis, both sides can benefit from having this information during job negotiations.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources can help financial professionals who want to learn more about what salary expectations should be. We have compiled our salary survey list with updated facts and figures including job descriptions for more than 110 accounting and finance positions for the Chicago metropolitan area.

Email us today at FinancialSalarySurvey@caseyresources.com and we will be happy to share this with you.  In the “YOUR MESSAGE” section, please enter “2020 Accounting & Finance Salary Survey”.