Dubai: Should you accept a job offer from a company that promises the highest salary or from the one that supports career growth?
Many professionals have to ponder on this question when considering a new employment opportunity. The answer may vary from one person to another, depending on one’s priorities, values or financial situation.
For some people, it is important to have a happy balance of both money and career satisfaction, but for others, the number of zeroes on the paycheque is what matters most.
However, findings in a new survey among professionals in the UAE and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), indicated that a company that doesn't value career growth or open a lot of doors for its staff could be a deal breaker.
The survey, conducted online among 6,954 respondents from the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and many other countries in the region, found that when considering a new job, the most important factor that respondents (12.8 per cent) look into is whether or not the company can provide great career growth opportunities.
The second-most important factor is whether or not the company is known to be a great place to work for (9.3 per cent). An equal number (9.3 per cent) also cited that a company paying the “highest salaries” is another deciding feature.
Other bodies of research, however, have established a clear trend: money is the main reason candidates switch jobs. According to a global survey by Randstand in 2014, the overwhelming majority (75 per cent) of respondents would switch jobs if they can make more money elsewhere, while a smaller percentage (69 per cent), would leave their current jobs to improve their career growth opportunities.
Emily has recently been applying for jobs in Dubai in the hope that she would progress in her career. She’s been stuck in a rank-and file position for years now, so when she got called to an interview for a more exciting role, she jumped at the opportunity.
But little did she expect that the salary would be half her current monthly pay." I turned down the offer, eventually,” she said. “Money is still important for me. But I heard that a lot of companies these days, especially in the oil and gas sector now offer very low compensation packages, given what’s going on with the economy,” Emily said.
Annalinde Nickisch, HR consultant at The Thought Factory, said she has encountered job applicants who turned down job offers because the salary was low.
But she pointed out that career growth is still a deciding factor when evaluating job opportunities for a lot of people. “Candidates would also take factors such as the employer brand, the additional benefits being offered and most importantly, the job security into consideration,” Nickisch told Gulf News.
“The average salary increment for an employee who stagnated in his or her designation is commonly ranging between 2 per cent to 5 per cent per annum. Thus, career growth is always the ultimate goal. Having said that, unless a candidate was working in an organisation, in which they had experienced a very low job satisfaction or felt that their current employment was no longer secure, applicants would commonly not shift employment for a lower pay.
In Bayt.com and Naseba’s survey, jobseekers indicated that they also prefer a company that offers the best training (7.3 per cent), demonstrates great leadership (4.9 per cent), has great products and services (3 per cent) and is "prestigious" (2.7 per cent).
Employers in the region are highly encouraged to pay attention to what candidates look for when job hunting, if they want to attract the “best and brightest” talent.
“Competition to hire the best talent is growing fierce,” said Sophie Le Ray, CEO of Naseba, a business facilitation company.
The study also highlights that a company’s online presence is vital in shaping its perception among potential employees, with 75.6 per cent of the respondents saying they often research a company online before considering a job offer.
When visiting a company website or an employer’s branding page, jobseekers named several features they would love to see, including sections that enumerate “reasons to join” (32 per cent), provide a “description of the vision, mission and culture” (9.5%), ‘testimonials and actual experiences from employees” (8.4%), among others.
Companies looking to position themselves as a great place to work are also advised to pay close attention to their posts, tweets and snaps, with 39.8 per cent of the respondents stating that social media is the most important channel for a company to brand itself.
“Employer branding is more important than ever before,” said Suhail Masri, VP of employer solutions at Bayt.com.
