Salary and location beat office perks for job candidates, survey reveals
If somebody were to ask you what are the most important aspects of a job description, you would probably have a good idea – a better salary, a fancier job title, and the potential for a promotion.
Pretty straightforward, right?
You would expect that employers would know this best of all. But almost half are getting it wrong, according to a recent survey by job site CV-Library.
The survey asked 1,200 job hunters and 300 employers what they thought the most important aspects of a job description were. The results highlight just how differently job seekers and their employees think about job offers.
Salary
While it’s not exactly surprising that pay is the most important factor of a job offer for candidates, it’s interesting to note how few employers thought the same.
Only 60 per cent of employers believed salary was the most important factor, compared to more than 82 per cent of professionals.
Location
Where you work makes a huge difference to how you spend your day. Nobody wants to sit on the sweaty Tube for four hours a day if they can help it. That’s why three-quarters of professionals put location as the second most important factor of a job offer. But only five per cent of employers thought the same.
Work-life balance
In a city like London, working long hours is a given. But all too often working to live becomes living to work. Nearly half of job seekers say that working hours are the third-most important part of a job offer. With all the cultural attractions of London – not to mention the gyms and the pubs – leaving on time means you get to enjoy the area you actually work in.
Flexible working
The digital revolution means that professionals have become pickier about where they work. A quarter of job hunters say that being able to work away from the office has become a priority. But only half as many companies agree, suggesting this is a point of friction between employers and employees.
But if you can’t get a job close to home, a role further away in which you can work from home once per week might make all the difference, particularly if you’re doing the school run.
Benefits and perks
Companies often use perks as a way to attract potential employees. At big tech firms like Facebook and Google, employees are lavished with free dry cleaning, an in-house gym and meals cooked by Michelin-starred chefs. But while perks might look good on paper, they’re not nearly as important as companies might think. Only about 20 per cent of employees say they care about them.
CV-Library founder Lee Biggins said: “Today’s professionals know what they want from a job offer and those that are aware of the current climate also know that they can afford to be picky with their choices,” said. “With many nervous to switch roles amidst ongoing uncertainty, it’s going to take a competitive package to encourage them to leave their current position.
“For this reason, your job descriptions need to clearly show the salary, location, job title and working hours, otherwise you risk losing out on applications. Make this information easy to find and don’t forget to shout about the great perks you have on offer as well.”