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need a restorative break, so emphasize that your company understands this. Employers commonly allow time off for major holidays, sick days, personal days, and vacations. Some offer employees a set number of days off each year rather than distinguishing between sick, vacation, and personal days. Some employers offer a “floating holiday,” which allows employees time off for religious observances not covered in the annual schedule. Some American companies have started following the European model, allowing four or even five weeks of vacation, but one or two weeks is typical. Tell your candidate at what point in the calendar year he can begin taking vacation time, and when the number of weeks will increase, say, three weeks vacation after five years with the company. Also discuss whether vacation time can be carried over from one year to the next.

Remember, a generous vacation policy makes a good job offer even more appealing—and may even compensate for a slightly smaller salary.

Flexible Schedules

If your salary offer isn’t quite up to par, you might still persuade a candidate to take the job by offering more time off or flexible work hours. As Jill Hamburg Coplan reported in “Making the Case for Telecommuting” in BusinessWeek Online, a recent survey by online benefits company LifeCare found that flexible work arrangements were the most coveted employee benefit, even more desirable than healthcare. Telecommuting or working from home has surged in recent years, especially in high-tech companies. Research indicates that allowing employees to telecommute reduces absenteeism and turnover, improves productivity, and increases levels of satisfaction. Some employers even report that telecommuting can benefit the bottom line. One example is Development Counselors International, a New York City–based economic-analysis firm, which saw its western business triple when two 15-year veterans began telecommuting from the West Coast.

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THE BOTTOM LINE

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SMALL COMPANY PERKS

If you work for a smaller company and feel that you can’t compete with larger firms and their higher salaries and rich benefits packages, don’t sell yourself short when making an offer. While it’s true that salaries might not be as competitive, many smaller firms compensate with on-the-job perks and other benefits, such as:

The opportunity to be more hands-on

The need to wear multiple hats, which results in wider experience and enhanced skills

More chances for recognition

The “big frog, small pond” factor, which can often result in speedier promotions.

A stronger sense of ownership

A culture more geared to fulfilling employee needs

Jobs that better utilize an employee’s aptitudes and interests

Flextime and telecommuting

The chance to buy stock options and benefit financially from contributions to the firm

SOURCE: “Why Small Businesses Pay Less” Salary.com (2006).

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Balancing All Factors

In areas or industries where the pool of job candidates is limited or highly competitive, you may end up having to sell an applicant on your company.

Take a realistic look at the offer you’re making and decide if it is fair, competitive, and comprehensive. If you did your homework at the beginning of the search process, you know approximately what this employee is worth in the marketplace, you’ve researched what other companies are offering, and you know what benefits your company can provide. You are now armed to negotiate.

First, don’t immediately assume that any aspects of the job that you yourself see as negative—perhaps the size of the company, limitations of the benefits, or the nature of the work itself—will make the position unappealing to your chosen candidate. No two people have the same set of interests and priorities.

Although some candidates prefer a large corporation that can pay more and provide more benefits, others would rather be at a smaller company where the opportunities are greater. Some individuals are looking for a chance to move up the corporate ladder; others are not as concerned about advancement. Some candidates