Considering a Move?

Considering a move?

Money, company benefits, work/life/balance, a great leader, terrific group of people or the chance to work on a large complex project?

These are many thoughts that run through the minds of candidates who are considering a change from their current employer.   Further thoughts might be, is the move going to get my career heading in the right direction?  Does it allow me to develop other skills that are required for me to move into management?  Is the organisation well placed within the market it operates in?  Is the business in a strong position of sustainable growth?  Is the move going to bring long term financial rewards?

In today’s market, candidates spend a lot of time assessing these options.  They want to grow, develop and be the best in their game.  They want to work with an organisation that looks after their employees, with a well mapped out career path and the opportunity to move into management.  Any move will have major consequences for both the individual and the employer so all options have to be considered very carefully.

Recently, I had the opportunity to work with an organisation that was seeking a senior individual for their business.  The management position offered plenty in terms of scope, leadership, technical, operational and commercial responsibilities.  The preferred candidate identified through our search was working with a main competitor so very familiar with the current market, clients and projects so why change?  Whilst money was an important factor here, the opportunity to work with like-minded individuals, running a large team and working on larger diverse projects in a successful business, certainly outweighed the financial rewards.

The salary expectations of the individual were in fact higher than what the company offered so why accept?  A good question indeed!  It wasn’t about the money.  It was about the opportunity to join a successful and profitable business that allowed the individual to get back to what they enjoy doing; running a team, working with great people, providing technical and viable solutions and working in a business that had a long term successful business strategy in place.  Plenty of upside!

In the end, the long term financial gain for the candidate will be far greater.  This will be through their performance, benefiting through agreed incentives and bonuses.  Accepting the position at a higher salary initially would put both the business and the individual at a higher risk.  Who benefits?   Firstly, the organisation with the successful appointment of the key individual into their business.  Secondly, the successful candidate is now motivated, energised and fully committed and allows the individual to be challenged at a senior level, supported by great colleagues who are focused on the delivery of first class projects for their clients.

To pay more for a key individual doesn’t actually mean you get more.  It is about getting the balance right between experience, money, company, challenges and career.   A win,win situation is the best result every time.