Hammer Home Your Employer Value Message!

In my January 2019 ezine, I published an article titled, “What’s Your Value–Do You Know It?” Basically, the article centered on the theme that you need to have a real-world view of your value to employers and present it well. In other words, you need a compelling employer value message to get your candidacy off the ground.

However,  the story has more pieces to it than that. You can have all the employer value in the world and still not receive a salary offer that makes good sense. For some time now, employers have bemoaned a talent shortage, but many of them have avoided paying a realistic salary for people to fill the holes.

Why Your Employer Value Message “Isn’t Working”

If your value message incorporates the right elements and still “isn’t working,” it could be missing the mark because:

1. You still haven’t thought it out carefully and fine-tuned it so it will hit the target.
2. You’re aiming it at the wrong audience (wrong company, position, influencer, etc.)
3. The companies you’re targeting are paying attention to the wrong sources. They aren’t listening to what candidates with seriously high value are trying to tell them.

You can take action to correct problems #1 and #2 above. On the other hand, you might have little luck with #3. As the saying goes, “You can’t fix stupid!”

Companies Ignore the Need to Pay Fairly for Valuable Employees

Recently I re-read a blog post from Nick Corcodillos (Ask The Headhunter) that discussed the situation of unfilled jobs versus low-ball salaries being presented to candidates in job offers. It’s titled, “B.S. on the jobs numbers euphoria.”

The following brief quote from Corcodillos’ article shows a major reason for you to worry if you’re planning a job search. You might feel especially concerned if you’re hoping to increase your salary in the process.

“Wages and salaries are basically stagnant, and more people are admitting it. Employers are spending less on wages and salaries because they’re renting temporary workers from “consulting firms.” But the bucks are there. They’re just going to somewhere (and to someone) other than the labor pool. So I think the euphoria about ‘jobs creation’ is indeed B.S. because more new jobs during a labor shortage without higher wages is not good news — it tells us something is very wrong.”

Can You Work Around the Poor-Pay Obstacle?

If I knew the answer to this question, I’d be independently wealthy and retired! Joking aside, it involves serious thought and might not have one direct answer. For whatever help it might be, I offer the following suggestions:

1. Pick your target positions, companies, and industries carefully. Not all are equal–that is, equally good or bad.
2. Take off your rose-colored glasses or the blinders that keep you from seeing what IS, not what you WISH it were.
3. Position yourself as strongly as you legitimately can. You want employers to almost hyperventilate over the thought of losing you if they don’t pay enough.

Above all, use common sense (which isn’t as common as it should be). Dreaming is fine, but by itself, it doesn’t pay the bills or provide a solid future for job and career success. If you can afford to wait and be choosy about job offers, DO IT! If not, create the best outcome you can for now and keep looking for a better one down the road. Your professional growth should carry a decently matched salary.