With ongoing skills shortages in the industry, it’s vital that engineering organisations are able to attract the top talent. So it’s not surprising that engineering candidates can get away with being a little choosy when it comes to job offers. In fact, data from CV-Library has revealed that 75.9% of engineers have high job expectations and a further 73.4% have negotiated on a job offer with a potential employer.
With this in mind, we discuss the Top 5 most important areas that you need to consider when negotiating with engineering candidates during the hiring process.
1. Salary
Salary was the number one negotiation point for engineering professionals, with 86.1% admitting that this was the most important factor. Be sure to outline the salary bracket in your job description as this can help to avoid you getting caught in an awkward negotiation later on. It’s also helpful to check out what your competitors are offering on this front first.
2. Working hours
Every worker wants a good work-life balance. As such, 44.3% would negotiate on this making it a main priority for you as an employer. You need to ensure that you’re not running your employees into the ground and show off your company culture in a positive light during the recruitment process.
3. Benefits
Benefits are a great way to reward your employees’ hard work and give them a reason to stay loyal. They’re also an important negotiation factor for 43% of engineers. Make sure you include the benefits you offer in your job advert and highlight them during interviews. Best of all, these don’t have to be expensive – a half day now and again or a few local discounts has a surprising impact.
4. Holiday allowance
Make sure you have a fair holiday allowance as this is something that 39.2% of engineering candidates would negotiate on. Most companies will have a standard package but more holiday can be added as an extra perk or reward.
5. Flexible working
Flexible working can be great for enabling employees to fit their lives around work. It’s also great for increasing staff retention and productivity. Nowadays more workers are expecting flexible working arrangements and 32.9% of engineers said they would negotiate on this area.
In summary, if your competitors are offering a better job package than you, it’s likely that they’ll be the ones scoring top talent candidates. Ensure that you’re offering your staff a great (and fair) package as ultimately, this will help to boost staff retention, creating more loyal and dedicated workers that make businesses more productive and profitable in the long term.
Author profile:
Lee Biggins is the founder and managing director of CV-Library
