Careful what you wish for - salary vs. experience

Recently it was brought to my attention that a company was advertising an available position at a less than scale salary. Not knowing if this was an over-site, printing error, etc., I thought that I might take a moment to express what this may mean to someone sitting on the other side of the interview desk. Understandably, we all have champagne taste on a beer budget. This “over-site” wasn’t even import beer status. I’m not even sure it was even more domestic beer status than hatching it in your own bathtub. The friend of mine that brought the advertisement to my attention, described her feelings towards this “over-site”, as sad and disappointing. Among other words, she even went as far to say she feels insulted. When you undercut a salary for a position, you may want to weigh the risk involved. Five out of ten folks within a corporation will consistently check positions available. Three of those five that find similar positions available will compare it to their current work. One or perhaps even two of those three, will dig deeper to see if the salary is competitive. Think about what your requirements are to fill a position. When a job description includes action statements such as, “takes responsibility”, “acts as lead”, “high technical proficiency”, “high degree of professionalism”; as well as adjectives that include, “polished”, “professional”, and “proactive”; you are not doing your hiring budget a favor by offering less than a desirable salary. Anyone worth interviewing for your available position with such descriptions, would hold themselves accountable and highly value their contribution to the team. These people know their worth and will not settle for much less. These are not the candidates that will apply for your open position when you under-cut a salary. Confident, high-performing individuals will not waste their time on a company that undervalues its staff, no matter what the “perks” may be.