How to increase the appeal of a role without increasing the salary.
In this article I hope to offer you some insight into how you can increase the appeal of a role without increasing the salary.
I am certain we have all now seen the surge of news stories each day relating to the cost of living in the UK. What has been described as a ‘Cost of Living Crisis,’ ultimately means that we will see an increase in the price of energy, food and other household items and for many, their monthly wage will fall significantly behind these rising expenses. With inflation at its highest rate in 40 years, a significant number of people in the UK are falling under financial pressure and there is more urgency in seeking a higher salary.
When it comes to candidates who are actively in the market for a new role, we may find that when there are two similar roles with similar responsibilities, the difference in popularity and number of applications may substantially differ, with the higher salaried role attracting much more attention than ‘normal’. Whilst increasing the salary of a role to increase the appeal is feasible for some organisations who have a little more wiggle room in the budget, it is not the case for all charities. If you are struggling to attract candidates, here are some suggestions you could implement to increase the appeal of your role.
1. Altering a full-time role to part-time
Part-time roles can really help in increasing the appeal of a role by widening the pool of candidates who are unable to commit to a full-time role. It allows individuals the time to tend to other commitments, pursue other activities or, tend to other needs such as childcare.
2. Altering the job title, with an example!
Think about whether the job title is reflective of the responsibilities. I recently saw success with a role I worked on with a client who was initially recruiting for a Head of Operations with a salary of £45,000. Whilst the charity and the mission were extremely attractive, we really struggled to pull applications in. The role had a vast array of responsibilities, as operations roles usually do – and the general consensus amongst prospected candidates was that the client was simply not offering a high enough salary for the responsibilities that came with the role. After conversations with the client, we proposed that the role could be made part-time, performed four days a week at £60,000 pro-rata. Along with this, we felt that with the breadth of the responsibilities the role entailed, it should be renamed to Director of Operations.
Immediately, we saw a massive increase in the volume of applications we were receiving and at the end of the process, we were able to present a strong shortlist for the client to review, successfully appointing the role after two rounds of interviews.
3. Career Development Plans (CDP)
The opportunity to gain further industry knowledge and to develop and expand upon existing skillsets is always highly sought-after. Employees want to feel satisfied and fulfilled within their career and in their current organisation too. As an employer, if you know you don’t have the budget to offer a salary increase when a new vacancy arises, perhaps think about what attractive CDP you could offer. By showing you are willing to invest in the growth and development of your employees, you are showing that you are actively helping and encouraging them towards their goals.
4. Benefits packages
There are many benefits you can offer employees and potential candidates that don’t come with at a hefty price to the organisation. The most popular benefit we see is flexible working hours and hybrid working and both of these options are becoming increasingly important factors for candidates searching for their next role. Providing employees with the ability to work from home and to choose their working hours allows for a better work-life balance. We are finding that candidates are willing to take a lower-paying job in exchange for the additional flexibility offered!
Other popular benefits to consider include:
- Season ticket loans in which the loan repayments are paid monthly through the employee’s net pay over a set period
- Cycle-to-work schemes in which employees have no upfront payment and the monthly payments are taken tax efficiently from their salary by their employer
- Employee Discount Schemes such as Life Works
Overall, there are plenty of ways you can ensure you are attracting the candidates you need, and we are here to help. If you would like to know more, you can connect with me on LinkedIn or contact us here.
