Article
THE £50K–£70K CANDIDATE: WHY THIS COULD BE THE HARDEST PART OF THE MARKET TO RECRUIT
There is a part of the recruitment market that doesn't always get enough attention but is an area we have had a lot of success in at Chase & Holland particular the last 24 months.
The experienced middle-to-senior professional. Not necessarily the board director, not the graduate. The person somewhere in between.
Think:
Finance Manager.
HR Business Partner.
Procurement Manager.
Production Manager.
Financial Controller.
Executive Assistant.
Supply Chain Manager.
Sales Manager.
Senior Management Accountant.
Depending on discipline, company and location, many of these people sit somewhere around the £50,000–£70,000 market.
And they can be incredibly difficult to move.
Why?
Because many of the best ones aren't unhappy, they've built credibility internally. They may have flexibility and have a good relationship with their bosses. They know the current company culture, benefits and even things like the commute is a known in their daily planning.
So offering somebody £3,000 more isn't necessarily enough. We increasingly think employers need to answer a different question:
Why should this person leave a perfectly good job to join you?
Career progression?
More autonomy?
A better leadership team?
Hybrid working?
Interesting transformation?
A route to Director?
Better culture?
Greater commercial exposure?
Candidates aren't only assessing the job anymore; they're assessing the opportunity and businesses that understand that tend to recruit better.
The companies struggling are often the ones expecting excellent candidates to simply be grateful for an interview.
The market has changed recruitment is increasingly a two-way sales process. The candidate has to sell themselves to the business, but the business also has to sell itself to the candidate.
The strongest recruitment processes do both.
