The smarter, safer way to secure an Engineering A-Player
The ever-shrinking pool of engineering talent in South Africa is widely known to be a threat to organisations across industry sectors. According to the Engineering Council of SA (ECSA), South Africa has one engineer for every 3 100 citizens, compared with Germany, which has one engineer for every 200 people, while Japan, the UK and US have a ratio of 1:310. When the skills you need are this rare; it pays to secure rare skills and top talent when you find them, or risk losing them to your competition. Many companies find, however, that despite weeks of courting prospective A-Players, the ‘deal breaks down’ at negotiation stage. Why is this? According to Diane Gotthardt, Team Leader and Headhunter at DAV Professional Placement Group - Engineering Division, “the single biggest reason this happens is a prevailing catch-22: companies want to attract top talent but are not prepared to pay for them. The harsh reality is if you pay average, you get average.” “Companies want better results, but in the current economy, they don’t want to pay for the skills that will facilitate those results. We find that clients go through the entire courting process with an A-Player, showcasing all the reasons why their environment or project is a desirable one, only to offer way below the candidate’s expectations or worth. For the candidate, this translates to “we don’t really value you.” Diane chuckles, “If I were to compare this to a dating scenario, it’s like expecting the girl of your dreams, the one you have wooed for weeks, and made to feel valued and desired and then you offer her a single wilted daisy instead of the bouquet of roses she deserves. It’s just not going to sweep her off her feet.” “And often you don’t get a second chance to negotiate,” she continues. “With a technical person or a ‘rare skill’, you have a very small window – you will lose the candidate if you under-offer. They take it as a slap inthe-face and see it as a direct reflection of the value the company places on its people. Even further, as a direct reflection of how the company is performing financially. They will decline your offer, accept one from your competitor or potentially accept a counteroffer from their current employer. Alternatively, they may take the offer because they like the project or the technology, but remain in the market place open to other offers. This means that within a few short weeks you will have to begin the recruitment cycle all over again.” Does this not open companies to assume that recruitment companies elevate salaries just to earn higher commissions? “Any recruitment specialist worth their salt, aims to become a trusted advisor to their clients in a way that extends beyond one placement. They want the long-term success of the client, and work to continuously offer sound market knowledge when it comes to available skills and their salary levels. When we are appointed to fill a position, we want it to work in favour of both the client and the candidate. If we know the candidate is asking for an unreasonable package, we will counsel them accordingly. In the same vein, once we have shortlisted ideally skilled A-players, we will counsel a client we know to be under-offering.”
What about money-hungry candidates? “A specialist recruiter can spot the difference between a gold-digger and candidates that know their own worth. Having said that, candidates also need to be smart about their own personal ceiling – the fact you are considered a rare skill, does not mean you can demand an unreasonable salary. Be prepared to prove your worth during the interview and, in return to be offered what you are worth. “This raises another important point,” continues Diane. “There is generally a large gap at the start of negotiations – and it’s counterproductive to both candidate and employer. Candidates go in with an expectation that they will be negotiated down to the level they actually want. And employers go in low, much lower than they are prepared to pay. The biggest problem with this scenario is that serious candidates who know their worth will not see the under-offer as the start of negotiations. They will see it as an insult, and simply walk away from the position. A spin-off from this is that people talk and this could negatively affect your brand. An insulted candidate tells others ‘don’t even bother interviewing with company x, they pay their people peanuts.’ ” In summary then, what is the smart and safe way to make sure your company gets the A-players?
“Pay them what they are worth, it’s that simple,” says Diane. “Don’t offer the wilted daisy. Sweep them off their feet.” diane.gotthardt@dav.co.za