Salary Survey in this Month's Wine Business Monthly

Subscribers to Wine Business Monthly: This month's issue has the salary survey in it. www.winebusiness.com

Overall salary trend: Surprisingly, salary increases. But also a lot of talk about consolidation and shedding of jobs. I have seen salaries continue to rise, but for very crucial positions. I think this may be driven by the need to put together very attractive compensation packages in order to attract serious talent. While new hires may have seen an increase in salary, this does not offset the large number of people who are suddenly out of work. I think there will have to be some adjustment of compensation programs to address the overall shift in the employment outlook in the industry.

On the Road

Off to visit several of my European wine clients in the next couple of weeks. Will be learning a lot about employment trends, winemaking strategies and thoughts on the state of the international industry.

Salary Information: What is the Industry Standard

While interviewing both clients and candidates I learn a lot about salary ranges for all types of positions. I file the information away for future salary negotiations. While I may talk to 5 people a day about money, I realize that my clients don't. How can you educate yourself about what salaries people are getting at other companies.

First of all, talk to your HR department. Large companies have excellent salary survey data that's done both in-house and industry wide. Your HR manager also is continually talking to job seekers and has a good idea about what going salaries are.

If you don't have an HR department, or are re-evaluating your compensation programs, there are lots of other resources. First of all, Western Management Group, www.wmgnet.com has been doing wine industry compensation surveys for the last 8 years. Members can receive detailed reports about compensation plans and trends in the marketplace. Western Management Group has provided the survey that Wine Business Monthly uses for their Annual Salary Survey Report. This report provides data on the basic job categories in the wine business.

There are a few other websites that provide salary data, but they are not as specific to the wine world. Salary.com and Payscale.com have good location specific pay rates for general job titles, such as Administrative Assistant, Controller, etc. These sites are good for a ball park figure.

Career Advice in the Wine Industry: Mentors: Answers or Guidance

Career Advice in the Wine Industry: Mentors: Answers or Guidance

Confidentiality

I have been mulling this blog posting for a few weeks, maybe months now, but think it is something worth discussing. What is confidentiality?

In recruitment many of my positions are confidential, for reasons such as my client does not want competitors knowing there is a vacancy, the company is going through a restructuring or a host of other reasons. As a recruiter, it is very important that I honor this confidentiality. The wine industry is pretty small. After only a few calls people start to hear that I'm recruiting on a certain position, and often start guessing who it is. While the guesses are fun to hear, I cannot divulge the name of my client.

As a headhunter, I am also contacting potential candidates confidentially. If in my networking I begin working with someone who is currently employed, the same confidentiality is important to them. If I slip up and the employee's work finds out, it puts the employee in a bad spot now and an even worse one if they don't end up getting the job. Many employers never regain the trust in a person they have found out was considering taking another job.

When recruiting some clients have me sign a confidentiality agreement, barring me from divulging the company unless given prior authorization. On the candidate side, many job seekers are more than willing to sign a nondisclosure agreement so that I can tell them everything. I have always shied away from NDAs. Even if I get a signed form, the only thing I have is a piece of paper to show that the candidated blabbed about the position, violating the NDA. I'd rather give less information and only give up the secret when the client OKs it.

It can be tricky to navigate a confidential search. People get preconceived notions about the client based on who they think I'm recruiting for. Some candidates drop out of the search since they can't do their own investigation of the company. Sometimes people get involved in the search process only to bow out when they find out who the client is.

But these problems are insignificant when my client has trusted me with private information. While I do have to work under some generalities, my candidates tend to understand the sensitive nature of the search and work with me to learn more about the potential opportunity. If you are needing confidentiality, work with your recruiter to outline what needs to be kept quiet, and under what circumstances information can be shared. This will keep the search moving forward without any undo facts being exposed.

Hiring Trend: Currently Employed Candidates

Last week Dana Mattioli of the Wall Street Journal wrote an article entitled Only the Employed Need Apply http://online.wsj.com/article. Ms. Mattioli cites how many employers are only interested in hiring people who are currently working.

This isn't a new idea in recruiting. Many job seekers know the best time to be looking for a job is when you have one. If your company philosophy is to hire currently employed people, there are some factors to consider.

• Be prepared to take your time: If you want only currently employed candidates, you also want employees who will act professional. All professional employees give adequate notice before leaving a job, and will need to do the same before they can take your job. Also you will have to schedule interviews and meetings around their schedule to limit any concerns they have about their current employer finding out.
  
• Things are tough out there: People are seeing that jobs aren't as secure as they once were, and may be hesitant to leave one job for an unknown employer. While an employee may be unhappy at their current job, they know what they need to deal with. At the new place they don't know anything about the politics or policies, making them hesitant to jump ship.
• Money still talks: With people holding on to their jobs, being able to offer attractive salaries and benefits will be important. An underpaid superstar knows their worth, and will be happy to accept a job for someone who pays them that.
• Keep an open mind: There have been significant lay-offs throughout the wine industry. Many times people's positions were made redundant after an acquisition or merger. Often new managers want to work with their own team, and don't even consider the talent that was previously handling the job. There are a lot of great candidates out there who have become unemployed for no cause of their own. Take a look at someone who might be the superstar you want.
• Educate the potential hire: If you have a superstar that is interested in moving further along the interview/hiring process, let them know as much as possible about the position. Give them access to key staff members. Be available for questions that arise during their interview process. Follow up with them to gauge their interest. Explain any changes that have occurred in the past and let them learn all they can about the company. Openness speaks a lot about how a company will handle itself in the future.

Hope this information helps. Good luck with your searches.

How to Work with a Recruiter

I called my favorite client yesterday to see how everything was going. As usual, he was quick to take my call and was happy to hear from me. It got me thinking about how my successful placements all have a common denominator. I have been the most productive with clients that are active participants in the search process. There is a lot to be gained by having a good relationship with your recruiter.

So, how do you work best with a recruiter? I think there are a few basic principles.

• Make a time commitment upfront and meet with the recruiter. Allow them to learn all they can about the position you are hiring for, as well as about your company and you. Understanding a hiring manager's background and how the future employee will fit into the organization is crucial for a successful recruitment
• Take some time to map out what you need in the new employee, what the responsibilities of the position are, and what an ideal candidate's profile would be. While this may seem like something a recruiter could figure out, gaining your perspective on the ideal hire helps steer the recruitment in the right direction.
• Ok, I have to say it, have reasonable expectations. If you are hiring a high level executive for a key spot in your organization, it may take longer than 4 weeks to find the ideal person. Take a peek at salary surveys to see if your proposed salary will be competitive in the market. There are a lot of variables to consider, but being realistic and flexible will allow a smoother recruitment
• Be available. If a recruiter has a great candidate but can't get any feedback from you, the candidate may get another offer before you even think about interviewing them. Being available can also include being flexible about interviewing in off-hours and taking calls or checking emails when you are able to.
  
• Ask questions. If you want to find out how the recruitment is going since you haven't heard from your recruiter in awhile, call. If a candidate looks great on paper and you want to get some perspective on the person's background, call the recruiter to see what they know about the candidate. Recruiters are talking to the candidates they submit frequently, and may have a quick answer to a specific concern. If your recruiter doesn't know the answer, they can talk with the candidate and get back to you with the information. Some quick questions and answers can save you time that would have been wasted on fruitless interviews.
  
• Give feedback. If you don't like the set of resumes you are receiving, let your recruiter know what is missing. Sometimes what comes across in the first meeting with a recruiter may cause the wrong skill sets to be presented. Tweaking the requirements of the position may quickly bring you spot-on candidates, one of which will end up being your great employee. Even if you can't put a specific quality on your feedback, be open about your hesitations or concerns. Recruiting isn't simply putting skilled employees at the right job, but also making a satisfactory match of a person's soft skills. This isn't always quantifiable, but completely understandable to your recruiter.
• Keep your recruiter informed. It is easy during the hiring process to gain a closer relationship with the future hire than the recruiter has. You want this--this person will soon be working closely with you and your staff. But let your recruiter know how things are progressing. If you have talked about salary, benefits or potential start dates--update your searcher. This is helpful for us recruiters to know how the search is progressing, but also for you. If we know that salary was discussed, we can talk to the candidate about where the negotiation stands. Sometimes sticky situations can be averted by a recruiter simply talking things out in a neutral setting.
• Get guidance. If you are not sure your bonus program is up to industry standards, talk to your recruiter for their insight. If you aren't sure what type of educational background would be best for a production management position, your recruiter can say what the profiles are of other people in similar positions. Recruiters deal with this type of stuff all day, every day. We know you are working on different issues at the company, and interviewing and hiring is something you don't do often. Your recruiter can offer som insight in how similar situations have been handled, and offer you ideas on how to handle them.
  
• Keep us informed, even after the start date. I love to get a fill, and am so thrilled for both the new hire and the employer. Often the first few weeks are a time of transition for the new employee and client. We recruiters understand, and want to allow you to get things in order quickly. But once the new employee is settled in, let us know how things are going. When we recruit on a position, we understand what the company is looking for, and some of the upcoming projects and changes involved. It's interesting to learn how things progress. Forming relationships with both clients and candidates is something recruiters like to do, so keeping in contact is always rewarding for a recruiter.
  

Getting that position filled sometimes can seem to take forever. Working closely and effectively with your recruiter can make it go smoother and many times, faster.