This is where many mid-stage high-growth companies find themselves on a regular basis. They have an innovative product and the core team for future success. The future is just beyond the horizon and the sunrise is just beginning to show. They have a business plan that requires a ton of new hires and a compensation philosophy or structure designed for the company they were a year ago.

Just like your teeth impact your speech your pay can impact who you hire, the kind of people you keep and whether you will succeed at all. Pay is a foundational component of your future success. What you pay someone today sets an expectation for them and for every hire of a similar person.

The funny thing is getting that little cavity or other problem fixed quickly usually doesn’t hurt and lets you focus on better things down the road. Compensation programs can often be the same.

For several months many of us have wondered why base pay wasn’t spiking upward out of respect for the historical strong job market. The basics premise of our economy is the strong demand and short supply results in high prices. This is true for peaches, cars, and people. With unemployment at very low levels and a job market continuing to create jobs at a rate of 210,000 per month, we should have been seeing pay rise far faster than our now sad 3% annual increase. It turns out the trickster was simple math.

Actor Gene Wilder’s recent passing, along with a recent client call, reminded me Veruca Salt’s “I Want It Now!”. The song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the real one, not that lame version starring Johnny Depp.) As reminder, Veruca wants not only the goose’s golden egg, she also wants the goose itself. Mr. Wonka declines and chaos ensues. This seems to be an increasingly popular story in our tight job market.

The CEO or head of Sales asks for something that you know CAN be done, but you are not sure YOU can do it. Sometimes we take a deep breath and drop in, trusting on our training and instinct. When we can’t do that, it’s time to ask for help.

It’s a candidate’s job market! A great candidate experience is a must have as part of your talent acquisition and planning strategy. A great candidate experience is one that makes it simple and easy fo