Skip to main content

Job Hunting - who holds the power?

Job Hunting – Are you the buyer or the seller?

It’s important to know.   And it does change.  While certain roles always seem to be in high demand, our rapidly evolving world is continually redefining key skills.
As a job seeker, you might feel that you are the buyer, and it may be that you are one of the fortunate people whose unique attributes give them superior negotiating power.  Most of us, though, have to sell ourselves to the employer.  
Experience plus formal qualifications definitely give an employee the edge and can change the buyer/seller dynamic.
Why is this even a discussion?
For a number of reasons:
·       Complimented if approached, some people accept the new job because it sounds like a good idea  or use the offer as a negotiation tactic with the current  employer, never really intending to resign.
·       Others accept a position, but would really prefer an alternative role and if that one comes up, gazump the first offer
·       Life happens, circumstances change and it isn’t feasible to start the new job
HR Departments are concerned that future employees do not appreciate the impact of contracted new employees not commencing work.
·       The recruitment process is lengthy and costly
·       Other potential candidates have been informed that they have not been successful
·       Start dates are often designed around particular business requirements which will have to be adjusted, once again at cost to the hiring company
While most contracts include a resignation period, non starters do not consider that they need to give the contracted notice even if they do not ever commence work.
And how does this tie in to the buyer/seller conversation?  Two key points:
·       The shifting power base in the employer/employee relationship.   HR departments and line managers may be measured by their ability to attract and retain staff, however, the employee pool is larger than the employer one, offering the hirers more options, giving them the buyer’s position more often than not.
·       That old burning bridges concept.   As long as you are the seller, even if you are at the forefront of your industry, or in a high demand speciality, once you have let somebody down, you will find it more difficult to sell yourself in the future.  Word gets around.
Treat future employers the same way you would treat your current one.
·       Give them as much notice as possible
·       Don’t string them along with a story which may have to be changed
·       Explain your reasons for not taking the position
This way there is a greater chance that in the future, when an opportunity arises, you might get the call!



  


Links, References and Notes

Accsys, a member of Transaction Capital Risk Services, provides people management solutions ie Payroll, Human Resources (HR), Time and Attendance as well as Access Control/Visitor Management.
The company develops, implements, trains and services our solutions.  We provide readers, turnstiles, booms and CCTV.
We run both on premise and in the cloud, as well as mobile options for ESS.  Recruitment, online education and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) are part of our offering, too.
http://www.accsys.co.za/accsys-peopleplace-talent-management
email:      tschroenn@accsys.co.za
twitter:   @TerylSchroenn


Note:   Thank you for reading Teryl@Work.   Should you wish to use any of the material, please acknowledge this blog as the source.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

3 things to do BEFORE you resign

or sign a new contract… 1.         Confirm your notice period ·          A lot of companies allow 30 days from date of resignation, but many ask for a calendar month 2.        Check your restraints ·          If you are joining a competitor ·          If you are joining a client 3.        Find out when your last payment will be transferred ·          Companies have been burned by paying over on the 25 th , and people not returning, so they may delay payment transfer until the last official working day, or even the first day of the following month.  You may need to make special arrangements regarding debit orders …. Both your current company and your new one deserve to be fairly treated.   Knowledge of ...

When did having it all become doing it all?

Or being all things to all people… Ruth Bader Ginsburg , U.S. Supreme Court Justice: “You can’t have it all at once. Over my lifespan, I think I have had it all. But in different periods of time, things were rough.” As a mother, a wife and a business woman, I have thought a great deal about this.    My article about #OutsideWork generated some personal mail that asked me, inter alia: “How?” “What do I need to do to satisfy everybody that needs my full attention when I am with them?”  My children, my boss, my partner – they all need me to be the best that I can be, and I am barely keeping my head above water.” “I don’t want to be selfish, but there is no time for me.” And a poignant comment: “This article made me remember that there must be time for “self” but I am not finding it.  I am mentally and emotionally exhausted and nobody seems to care” There is no one answer.  It’s different for those in a committed partnership, compared to sing...

Employment Tax Incentive Bill

While there has not been agreement from all parties on the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) Bill, and the roll out, it was formally published on 4th November, 2013.  With the January go live date, there are still some issues that need to be finalised, but simply put, the concept is as follows: The incentive runs from January 1st, 2014 to December 31st, 2016 The employee must be between 18 and 29 years old on the last day of the relevant month The employee must earn a wage of less than R6 001 per month The incentive can only be claimed in the months when the remuneration is under R6 001  The employee must have been engaged after October 1st, 2013 The employer must be eligible by being  Registered for PAYE In good standing with SARS Not local, provincial or national government Limited to South African citizens and valid asylum seekers, the main driver is for youth employment, however, the incentive also applies to employment in Special Economic Zones (SEZ) ...