Had this crazy discussion happen this afternoon and thought I’d share it.

Had an employer reach out to an A-Grade looking for work via our tech platform. Based on his profile created and the work experience listed, the employer was keen to chat further but the jobseeker, while indicating they were available, had not responded back. The employer called electricianXchange up to ask why?

I picked up the phone and spoke to the A-Grade saying “Mate this employer is keen to talk to you. Why are you not responding?”. The A-Grade said I am on a good wicket earning $80,000 plus a van.

I went back to the employer and said – to do anything here, you are going to have to pay more than $80k plus van. They said that they pay $80k plus van to those early in their careers – so with 2/3 years of experience after completing their apprenticeship and if this A-Grade had 2-3 years of experience only, that would be hard to match that. But for people experience they pay more.

I went back and asked the A-Grade – how many years’ experience do you have?

He said 20 years of experience post finishing his apprenticeship.

So he was getting a raw deal from his existing employer, thinking he was on something great – when the market had moved significantly with better salaries and rates being paid by new employers, for the many years of experience accumulated.

He re-initiated the dialogue, and it all went well for both parties.

Then later in the day I was talking to another A-Grade, and he said “I was offered $40 to $45/hr. Is it worth even getting into a dialogue with this employer?”

And I said – mate; negotiating for a job is not like buying a banana from Woolies or Coles where there is just one dimension - price. At least have a chat and ask them – how far are they located from where you are. What sort of work will you be doing and was there some variety in the work there, against whatever it was that he was doing for years on end? Was there career progression possible there? What other benefits did the company offer (like mentoring for future senior roles or the ability to bring in new business and get paid for that). What was the culture like and did that align with the culture he had? And there is so much more one could chat and explore based on each person’s work likes and dislikes.

Negotiating for a new job is not like buying a commodity.

It’s not a single dimension based on price. Yes, rate and salary is an important consideration – but by not even having a dialogue are you missing out on great opportunities?

Like the first A-Grade. In his head $80,000 plus van was great. But if that discussion did not even commence, this was like two ships passing by. No scope for alignment.

So my advice is – have a discussion. Then make your mind up after that.

Go to www.electricianXchange.com/whatwedo to understand how technology can help you secure something better. Then go to https://www.electricianxchange.com/jobseeker-login and create your work availability profile to have employers reach out to you.