Competition for top talent is fierce at the moment, and many employers seeking bilingual professionals or language experts are finding it particularly difficult to identify and attract the skills they need. Against this backdrop, actively promoting salary ranges or specific compensation packages alongside job descriptions could put you one step ahead of the competition.
Here’s why salary is important when recruiting language professionals.
A shallow pool of talent
Businesses across the globe are currently struggling to recruit the volume and quality of candidates they need to thrive. In the UK, the situation is especially dire, with the number of open job vacancies across Britain now sitting above 1.2 million for the first time on record. The reasons behind this evident lack of candidates are, unsurprisingly, complex. Insufficient talent pipelines, an exodus of EU workers post-Brexit, and the fact that many professionals retrained or switched sectors to find work during the pandemic, have all helped to contribute to the current situation.
Businesses seeking bilingual professionals are struggling more then most. While some sectors and business functions can quickly upskill and redeploy existing employees internally in order to plug skills gaps, this is simply not feasible when it comes to learning – and becoming proficient in – a second, third or forth language.
The reality is that there is a finite pool of talent with the specific foreign languages required for a specialist role. Cross reference these individuals with the other hard and soft skills needed to add value to your organisation, and your target audience is even shallower.
Publishing salary information in your job adverts will give you the best chance of tapping into and engaging with this coveted group of potential candidates. Your recruitment agency will be able to advise on salaries based on market intelligence.
Lure passive candidates
It is a simple fact that the best employees are often already happy and secure in their roles and may not actively be seeking work. However, data shows that the majority of people would be open to leaving their current firm if the right opportunity presented itself.
Those secure in management roles, in particular, are unlikely to have the time comb over job listings, firing off applications to every role they are qualified for on the off chance that it may come with an attractive salary package. They may, however, be unexpectedly lured by a role with great pay they stumble across when casually scrolling online.
For those doing the job posting, it can be easy to forget that candidates take, on average, around an hour to apply for a job online. People don’t take the decision to fill out an application form lightly – make sure great candidates know it will be worth their while.
The good news is that workers are now changing jobs at an accelerated pace, so catch the right people, at the right time - with the right message - and you could secure the great hires you have been looking for more quickly than you imagined.
Fostering a culture of transparency
Publishing salary ranges alongside the job specification and role requirements in job ads sends a message that your company is open, honest, and accountable – qualities that great candidates value in an employer.
Some companies have defended the practice of not publishing salary ranges by saying that they don’t want the competition to know how much they’re paying. However, the reality is that some may also be aware of the ‘loyalty discount’ which has permeated throughout their longstanding workforces.
Employees who have worked for a company for a long time, receiving regular – but comparatively small - pay increases, could easily find themselves earning far below the market value. As such, there may be a fear for some employers that if they post salaries for new roles, existing employees may become disgruntled.
Similarly, it has also been suggested that controversial practices such as offering an incremental increase on a fresh candidate’s last wage, or offering pay ‘depending on experience’, could help to drive inequality in the workplace and widen the gender pay gap. For this very reason, in many US states there are now laws that prohibit companies from asking how much a person currently earns or about their salary history.
By drawing a line in the sand and publicly sharing what you believe potential recruits – and existing team members - are worth financially, you are also demonstrating that you are a fair and inclusive employer who is willing to offer a great deal to the best talent.
Why salary is important when recruiting language professionals
At a time when competition for talent is brutal, and business culture is increasingly responding to a widespread desire for transparency and accountability, publishing salary ranges makes perfect sense. We all know that any organisation is only as good as its people and, in order to attract and secure exceptional skills, employers must share job adverts that stand out from the competition.
While it is unlikely that remuneration alone will attract the best people, businesses must recognise and respond to the fact that it is a deciding factor for the majority of candidates. In fact, recent research from LinkedIn has found that ‘salary range’ was the most highlighted section of job descriptions when potential recruits were asked to indicate what portions they found ‘helpful’, ‘appealing’ or would make them ‘more likely to apply’.
Yes, candidates look for growth potential, flexible working options and a favourable company culture – but money talks, particularly in this talent-tight market.
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