More for an exceptional candidate

The Leader wants to advertise for a new head of strategic programmes. "Go all out" he said. "There'll be more for an exceptional candidate." Cash he means - not work (that's standard). 

I'm worried. It's not a message I want to send out. Either we get the right person or we don't, in which case we don't appoint. If we signal we're prepared to put up with someone who is not quite right, not the full shilling, then we're sending out some pretty strange messages about our standards. 

And what about the poor candidates? They can't really settle for anything less than the "exceptional" salary. If they do, they'll always be second best. They'll always know - as will everyone else (people have a habit of finding such details out) - that there was someone better out there but we settled for them. They'd be on the back foot before they got out of their car on day one. 

Add into the mix that nobody else in the building gets anything other than their agreed terms and conditions - no matter how hard they work (and some do) - and it feels to me like the wrong message altogether to send out. 

So I will be advising that we play it straight. Situation vacant: apply within.