Post the Number

The fastest way to get a response from a candidate is to share the compensation.

That shouldn't surprise anyone, but it draws a lot of reactions. Some are bothered by it, and some feel like jobseekers today are plain greedy.

Pay on paper might have risen the last few years but adjusting for inflation- real wages are not increasing buying power.

So, the salary range has earned a new job. It's become how a person decides if an opportunity is worth an hour of their time.

Candidates getting offers below their acceptance range happens all the time. It creates resentment for both parties. When the range wasn't clear before the interview, it really is a guessing game at the end. Most walk away thinking their time was wasted and some leave insulted.

People don't take jobs for corporate pizza parties, and I'd argue never did. Culture still matters, but people want a culture that "treats them like family" with real bills to pay.

Some owners get stuck when they hold the number back out of fear. The direct truth is it's not the highest number on the market, and that's just fine. The number isn't the whole offer, but it's the ticket to a conversation where you can share the rest.

A growing business rarely wins on the top number, unless there is serious funding. However, it wins on things a bigger company can't offer as easily: a clear role, an actively present manager, a visible and tangible path for growth, a real stake in how the work gets done. None of that gets heard before the candidate takes the first interview, unless you take the lead.

Three things to do before your next job posting:

1. 1. Decide the range before you write the job ad.
2. 2. Communicate the range either in the posting or the first message.
3. 3. Write down two or three things you offer that a bigger employer can't. Either include them in the job ad or communicate them in the first conversation.

You don't need the biggest budget. You need to know what you're actually competing against.

That's the subject of the November 13 Foundation Workshop. What You're Really Competing Against. Register here.