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Underqualified with High Expectations


A growing issue in the current market. The salary demands for job seekers are turning many employers sour on the market. Many candidates in today’s market have ambitious salary requests/demands, this poses a threat to employers who are in need of entry to mid level experienced candidates. Why is this happening and what can employers do?

Employee Demands

Employers have had multiple candidates with only 2-3 years experience with salary expectations in the 150K range. They want more responsibilities and leadership roles, but with their current experience, room for advancement is not yet an option. There isn’t a company in this market (outside unscrupulous consulting firms) that would entertain that – and the candidates that take these contracts will be laid off in January. So, the question remains, why do employees with 2-3 years experience raise these salary demands when they cannot articulate their value? There were 194,000 jobs gained in September, this was the second-lowest monthly total since the labor-market impact of the pandemic was first felt in April 2020. The latest figures show 10.4 million open jobs in the U.S., down slightly but still a historic high. Already, approximately 5.1 million jobs have been added back to the economy so far in 2021. So, a job shortage is at the bottom of the totem as to why candidates are requesting such ambitious salaries. The effects of the pandemic could be playing a part in this issue though. Many employees have felt a new sense of freedom because of work from home policies, this may be giving them too much false confidence and sense of entitlement when it comes to their occupation. Employers are still facing the effects of the pandemic head on, but what is the best way to face this particular issue?

Employer Solutions

There is no ideal solution to this issue, but there are ways to combat it. One solution is to let these candidates engage with government contracts until further notice, then re-engage with them once said contract is completed. This is not an ideal solution if you are in need of an employee urgently. If you are in need of an employee urgently then one way to cope with these types of candidates is to put pre-emptive measures in place such as setting quarterly bonuses, achievements and a designed career path with a different salary and room to advance to the position they desire. This gives employees a sense of importance and will overall boost their work ethic and self-confidence. This gives employers a chance to see an employee’s true potential and gives employees a chance to articulate their value.

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