Job Offers that get accepted are easy to create and are not all about base salary! As we enter 2024 DBI is already seeing new jobs opening and firms of all sizes in need of staff. Competition is slowly creeping back into hiring for the Architecture and Interior Design industries.
With competition comes the need for strategies that will put your offers in a position of strength. Here are three tips you need to get the edge:
Adhere to the 10% rule
When you open a position at your firm, you already know what salary you will offer, at least to some degree. However, you may need a little more money to attract the right candidate because of the competitive market.
Always be open to offering ten percent above your ideal offer to allow space for negotiation. This does not mean that you don’t make a great offer the first time, expecting negotiation. Rather, it means you make a great offer according to need and budget, but you have that 10% to give you room to negotiate as necessary to hire a great candidate.
Monetize your benefits
Salary isn’t everything. You’ll also be offering multiple benefits, but the true value of these benefits can be lost on some applicants. For candidates considering more than one offer, explain your benefits in terms of numbers. Summarize the total monetary package for the candidates who need to hear it.
For example, point out that your medical benefits cost $10k, dental costs another $5k, and vision is $2k. You can also monetize:
- paid holidays
- technology
- training, and
- bonuses and other incentives
Put relationships over money
We all understand the importance of money, yet career decisions are not made solely for financial reasons. The candidate’s happiness depends less on earning a high salary and more on overall well-being for themselves and their dependents.
If you can tell your firm’s story and the culture of respect and relationships that permeate it, you have a better chance to win the candidate.
Share the story of your corporate culture, whether that means timely feedback, peer introductions, collaborative projects, profits, or something else. And share it from the start. Your firm culture should be evident to a candidate from the first interview.
Of course, none of this happens without planning. As your firm starts to develop a 2024 hiring strategy, plan these out. What is your firm salary range? What is 10% above that? What is the monetary benefit of the benefits you offer? Have the number ready before your first interview. And what is your corporate culture? How do you talk about it? Who will share that story?
All of this is important to understand if you hope to attract top talent to your firm.
