Salary Benchmarking Before Advertising a Role…
Are You Positioned to Attract the Right Candidates? Before you advertise your next vacancy, ask yourself one simple question. Is your salary and package realistic for the candidate you're hoping to attract?
One thing that continues to come up in conversations with clients is how difficult it can be to attract the right candidates. Quite often, the assumption is that there simply aren't enough good people in the market. In reality, the problem often starts much earlier, before the advert has even been written. If the salary, package and expectations aren't aligned, attracting the right candidate becomes much harder. The result is often weeks spent reviewing unsuitable applications, rethinking the role or advertising the vacancy again, usually at a further cost. That's why salary benchmarking should be one of the very first steps before any recruitment campaign begins.
Salary benchmarking isn't about paying more
One of the biggest misconceptions is that salary benchmarking means increasing salaries. It doesn't. It's about understanding whether your role is positioned realistically for the market you're recruiting in.
A good benchmark helps answer questions such as:
Does the salary reflect the responsibilities?
Are our expectations realistic?
Is the overall package competitive?
How does our opportunity compare with similar roles?
Sometimes the answer is exactly what you were hoping to hear. Sometimes it highlights that something needs to change before the role goes live. Neither is a bad outcome. Making those decisions before advertising is far easier than trying to fix a campaign that's already struggling.
Salary benchmarking isn't about paying the highest salary.
It's about paying the right salary for the role, the market and the type of candidate you're hoping to attract.
Sometimes that means increasing the salary.
Sometimes it means adjusting the brief.
Sometimes it means strengthening the overall package.
The important thing is making an informed decision before the advert goes live.
Internal impact.
One thing that's often overlooked is the impact a new salary can have internally. Before advertising a role, it's worth considering how the salary compares with similar positions already in the business.
If existing employees see the advert, will it feel fair? Could it raise questions about pay consistency?
Spending a little time reviewing internal salaries alongside the external market can help avoid difficult conversations later.
Candidates make decisions in seconds
Most candidates aren't reading every advert word for word. They're comparing opportunities. Within seconds they're deciding whether it's worth investing their time in applying. Research consistently shows candidates are more likely to apply when a salary range is included in a job advert, yet only around half of UK job adverts currently publish one. Whether you choose to publish a salary is entirely your decision. What's important is understanding the impression your advert creates.
If key information is missing, candidates are left guessing.
Is the salary below market?
Does the level of responsibility match the reward?
Is this an employer that's open and transparent?
For many people, uncertainty is enough to move on to the next opportunity.
Salary isn't the only thing candidates research
Before applying, many candidates will also look at:
Your website
Your LinkedIn page
Employee reviews
Recent news
Your company values
Your culture
Your advert starts the conversation. Your employer brand often finishes it.
Why positioning matters
One of the most common conversations I have starts with:
"We've advertised the role, but we're just not getting the right candidates."
When we look a little deeper, the recruitment market usually isn't the whole story.
Quite often it's because:
the salary doesn't reflect the level of responsibility
the role has gradually grown into two jobs
the job title doesn't accurately reflect the role
the advert focuses on responsibilities instead of selling the opportunity
The longer these issues go unnoticed, the more management time they consume.
Applications still need reviewing.
Interviews still need arranging.
Hiring managers still need to make time.
Before long, weeks have passed without the business being any closer to making a hire. A one hour conversation before advertising can often save weeks of frustration later.
Three questions to ask before you advertise
Before every recruitment campaign, I'd encourage employers to ask three simple questions.
1. Does the salary reflect the role?
Job titles can be misleading. A Project Manager in one business may be responsible for a small internal project. In another, they could be leading a multi million pound programme with commercial responsibility and managing a team. The title may be the same. The role isn't. Always benchmark the responsibilities, not just the job title.
2. Are we asking for too much?
This is something I see regularly. Businesses understandably want someone who can hit the ground running. But if you're looking for extensive industry experience, leadership skills, technical expertise and someone who can make an immediate impact, it's worth asking whether the salary reflects those expectations. If the budget can't move, don't automatically assume the role can't be filled. Sometimes recruiting for attitude, potential and transferable skills produces a better long term hire than waiting for someone who ticks every box. Sometimes changing the brief is more effective than changing the salary.
3. Does the overall package tell a compelling story?
Salary is often what attracts candidates to an advert, but it's rarely the only reason they accept a job. Candidates compare the whole opportunity. If increasing salary isn't an option, think about how else you can make your business stand out. That could include:
Additional annual leave
Flexible working
Funded training and professional qualifications
Bonus schemes
Enhanced pension contributions
Genuine career progression
Opportunities to work on exciting projects
Greater autonomy and responsibility
Many SMEs can't outpay larger organisations. But they can often offer a more rewarding place to build a career. Candidates buy into opportunities, not just salaries.
Before you advertise your next vacancy
Every business is different, which means there isn't a one size fits all approach to recruitment. The important thing is taking the time to position your vacancy properly before it goes to market. A few hours of planning at the beginning can save weeks of frustration later.
Planning to recruit?
If you're planning to recruit and would like an honest view of how your role compares with today's market, I'd be delighted to have a conversation. Whether that's benchmarking your salary, reviewing your advert, discussing a Managed Recruitment Campaign or exploring Talent as a Service, it all starts with understanding the role and the market you're recruiting in.