By Joanna Kramer, who wonders if you’ve considered getting by on less
MONEY is vulgar. We know you’re applying for this position because you believe you can maximise value for our shareholders. That’s why we prefer not to bring it up.
No, it’s your passion for the role of digital events executive that we’re interested in. That’s why we’ve specified on the ad that the leave is ‘attractive’ and the salary ‘competitive’, because we both know it’s irrelevant.
Those terms certainly aren’t wholly subjective or a way of avoiding the topic. ‘Competitive with what?’ ‘Excellent in comparison to..?’ These are the sort of intrusive questions that suggest you may not be a good fit for our corporate culture.
We asked you to provide your salary expectations on the application just to rule out those with excessive self-worth. We also stated ‘salary dependent on experience’, a useful tool because candidates without sufficient experience will have no idea how badly we plan to con them.
We understand that some candidates insist on knowing the salary before spending three hours filling in an application, preparing a presentation, attending four interviews and completing a personality test. These people are flagged by HR as ‘unemployable’.
Our ideal candidate is passionate, flexible, resilient, available immediately and financially secure enough to work for an undisclosed amount. In return, we offer a dynamic environment and captivating opportunities. Because that’s what you care about, not your mortgage.
So please remember this isn’t about money. It’s about finding the right person for the role. And if the right candidate happens to ask how much the role pays, we’ll know immediately that they’re the wrong person.
