Same S**t, Different Company
By Matt Dodgson, Director Market Recruitment
If you’re currently interviewing, perhaps you’ve had the feedback, ‘we thought you were great but you didn’t quite have all the experience we need for the job we have.’ In other words, the company is saying it’s looking for a candidate that has experience in all the areas the job entails. You must be kidding, right!?!
We all have jobs, so let’s assume we’re good at those jobs and let’s assume we want to progress in what we do. Also let’s consider the backdrop; there are a lot of good jobs out there. Why then, would we want to move jobs to do pretty much the same thing but for somebody else? If those assumptions are accurate, you wouldn’t want to would you?
Well, I guess you might if money was a motivator and it paid more. Or if the company you were considering was a better performing business than your current employer. But realistically, most people wouldn’t. And here lies the mismatch;
- Employers want candidates to have experience in virtually all areas of the job
- Candidates want to move to stretch themselves and learn new things
This mismatch may explain why there are record numbers of unfilled jobs advertised today.
From my experience companies that recruit employees in ‘lateral transfer’ moves, where they ultimately do the same s**t but for someone else, become demotivated, disengaged and ultimately leave. Or become despondent and don’t perform.
On the flip side, recruiting someone who has some of the experience but not all of it and lots of ability to do the job means you’ll end up recruiting the best talent out there. You’ll be giving them development, learning opportunities and they’ll repay you by staying, being productive and happy.
Have you experienced a lateral move, what happened? Do you think companies are too prescriptive in their requirements? Did you make a move that stretched you?
About the author: Matt Dodgson is the Director at Market Recruitment, a specialist B2B marketing recruitment company based in Windsor, UK. You can check out the latest job vacancies here.
