Struggle Finding New Employees.

[cnctoolcat]

So you're going to lowball the initial offer by $16k/year (plus any overtime) from what an employee is worth to you and then be surprised when you don't get good applicants?

Not exactly. But in desperation (according to OP), money really shouldn't be an object to get the right guy.
Offer him a nice raise to take the job---which is gonna be an above-average number for your region (else the guy wouldn't even be interested).
When he says he's staying at his current employer, if your company is really needing the help, then throw your standard pay-scales out the window...get the guy if you really need him.
Only you know the level of desperation of the situation, and how high above normal you would be willing to go to make the deal happen.
As with any business transaction, you have to be in the ballpark to get attention to the proposed deal, but never give away all your hand up front.

 

[john.k]

Dangerous situation quickly develops when a new hire is on a lot more than the other employees ..........you better be offering everyone the same rate ,or you are going to be in a world of hurt.

 

[Seesecurity]

That's easy, that's when you call the last place on his resume (he brought one, right?) and tell them.

I actually know the owner of the place he was working at, he knew the bloke was coming over but didn't want to lose him...

 

[jim rozen]

"I've met many people who in later years expressed regret regarding decisions they made in earlier years."

Bet ya met many people, who claim they made exactly the correct decision in a pivotal point in the past. What I'm getting at is, you're not witnessing moral decay of western civilisation, but eternal human nature. Some things done right, some mistakes. I honestly suspect getting a tattoo (or a lot of them) is not gonna be a game-changer, unless you live in japan.

Things that used to be punishments: getting home early, going to bed early, taking a nap. Now major life goals. Yeah, I regret not taking more naps when I was younger and had the time. Maybe I should go out and get a tattoo.

 

[john.k]

My old boss used to dream about the time when he could lift an employee above his head ,and throw him over the fence........and ......aaargh ,there would be six good men waiting outside the gate for a job.......fortunately ,I was too heavy to lift,or maybe he was too old.

 

[PegroProX440]

There is a fairly new gas station here. Its a Buckees. They start out paying 17 -24 depending on the job. Im not sure but I think the apprentices here are in the 12 range. No one seems to last longer than a year here if they are starting out. I wouldn't be in this field if I had to start now.

 

[Digital Factory]

So quick update, we found a perfect candidate, offered him exactly what he wanted and.....His current employer gave him a promotion and a substantial raise when he went to put in his two weeks. Back to square one. Second time this had happened.. I guess companies are just at a point where the can not afford to loose any employees so they are offering up just to keep them.

I don't really get this.

You're looking for a new job, I assume you've had the discussion WRT promotion/pay raise with the current employer and they've said no can do because <insert reasons here>.

So you get a good offer, you accept and put in your notice and NOW your current employer says 'wait we really value you and here's the money/promotion we told you that you couldn't have.'

I'd be out the door saying it's too late for that.

And I'd also think I'd made an agreement with the new place and going back on that wouldn't sit well with me either.

So - I don't get it really. But I don't play those games.

PDW

Using an offer-in-hand to ask for a promotion/raise isn't uncommon, but I agree it's not a great way to go about things.

The candidate who flaked on @Micmac1 's offer is taking a risk by accepting the "desperation promotion". He probably has no idea at this point what his true long term value to the company is. He should've brought up raises/promotions a long time ago, and clearly explained how it would mutually benefit his employer.

Once the company's desperation wears off, he'll need to step up to the plate and deliver. A substantial raise calls for a substantial increase in productivity. A promotion is a two-way contract, but a one-way street. People gladly accept promotions but rarely accept demotions, even if they realize they bit off more than they can chew. There's no going back.

As for the company, they've now set a precedent and possibly poisoned the water. How will it affect the rest of their work force, if/when the word gets out? If they really needed this guy, they waited too long to promote. If they're now just covering their asses to get through the next few months, they might be forced to lay him off fairly soon when they find a lower cost replacement. Overall, just a big old mess that could've been avoided.

 

[alek95]

The candidate who flaked on @Micmac1 's offer is taking a risk by accepting the "desperation promotion".

Yup. It's so foolish to do this unless you are 120% sure you know how the boss will react to such a move long term.

My personal policy if I feel like I am underpaid: I'm going to ask for a raise one time only. If the answer is no, or if the answer is that I need to fulfill XYZ condition before I can get a raise, then I am immediately looking for a better job.

Once I get a good job offer, I am putting in my two weeks. I will politely listen to counter offers from my current boss but I will decline all counter offers, even if the offer is better than my new job.

My first job after uni, I put five years in a company and saw minimal salary increases even though my former classmates saw their salaries double. I repeatedly asked for raises and the boss always gave me some new condition or told me to wait. Overall I'm not upset that I put those five years in because I took that opportunity to learn CNC programming there (I worked an engineering job at the company but got to play with the machines).

The unfortunate fact is, loyalty is dead. You must be prepared to switch companies to get the respect that you deserve, usually.

 

[ttrager]

In line with this thread:

We had another person come in two weeks ago to interview. Boss felt he fit the bill enough to offer the job. Minor training issues to deal with, but that's always expected.

The boss had called him the morning he was to show up for a fast 1hr "orientation training", the guy said "I thought that was 11am, I was JUST leaving to get there (10:30am)." Boss tells him no worries, it's just Orientation, we'll get that out of the way first thing tomorrow morning (first day) and move you to a position.

No call, no show.

Always fun trying to find people to hire.