At the height of the Recession, IT employers in South Florida got a bit of a reprieve. Times were tough, and candidates knew that employers held all the cards. However, now that the recession is just a memory and the South Florida tech market is booming, things have changed. It’s now the candidates who hold the cards as employers fight against one another to attract the most highly skilled professionals to their team.
Negotiating salary with IT professionals isn’t always easy. As an employer, you want to get the most for your money without breaking the bank. At the same time, you want to offer compensation packages that are competitive and attract qualified candidates. Here are some tips to help prepare you for your next negotiation:
- Know the Market – You don’t want to offer salaries that are considerably higher or lower than the market. That means you have to know what your competitors are paying. Get out into the market and learn what’s going on in your sector of the South Florida IT landscape. Be sure you’re offering salaries that match the job description, skills, requirements, experience and education level you’re seeking.
- Get the Candidate to Blink First – It is extremely helpful to get candidates to express their salary requirements and expectations before you show your hand. Require candidates to include salary specifications in their cover letter, and then ask them to confirm that requirement in the course of the interview process.
- Stick With the Corporate Pay Structure – Employees talk. If the IT team finds out that the new girl is getting paid twice what they earn for the same job, it can result in conflict and chaos in the ranks. Be sure you know the pay structure of the existing team before extending an offer.
- Create a Robust Package – If you can’t compete in salary, consider sweetening the deal with benefits. Flexible work schedules, job sharing, added vacation time, paid company smartphones or tablets and other benefits can go a long way with employees who are always looking for better work-life balance.
Work With an Expert
Trying to navigate the South Florida IT salary landscape alone can be difficult and may leave you on the losing end of the candidate wars. If you want to connect with the local rates, a valuable resource is a partnership with Cutting Edge Recruiting.
If your South Florida enterprise wants to hire the right people with the right skills and you want to get them for the right price, CERS can help. We are a top-tier, nationally recognized recruiting and consulting firm that can help you tailor your hiring process to help you identify individuals who will be the right fit for your team, and we know the market inside and out so you can be sure you’re offering competitive salaries that fit within your internal budget. Contact us today to learn more about how our dynamic approach can empower you to hire with confidence.
