Current Offer vs Potential Offer: What Employers Need to Know
This article is part of the Employer Offer Intelligence guide.
Most employers think of their job offer as fixed: a salary band, a set of conditions, a defined role. In practice, almost every employer has some flexibility — a salary they would stretch for the right person, a qualification they would fund, a working pattern they would adapt.
The gap between your current offer and your potential offer is where many of the best hiring conversations happen.
Why the distinction matters in matching
Optio distinguishes between current and potential offer in its matching process. This means:
- Direct matches are assessed against your current offer — no adjustment needed
- Potential matches are assessed against what you could offer if a specific element were adjusted
- Expandable matches are assessed against your potential offer including development investment
Without capturing potential offer data, the second and third categories of match are invisible. You see only the candidates who fit your current offer exactly — which in a skills-short market, may be very few.
How to think about potential offer
Potential offer does not mean unlimited flexibility. It means being explicit and structured about where you have room to move — and under what conditions. For example:
- Salary: "We could go to £40k for a very strong candidate, though our standard band is £37k"
- Training: "We would fund an IOSH qualification for someone who is otherwise a strong fit"
- Patch: "We could reorganise the patch to reduce travel for the right person based in X area"
Capturing this information systematically — rather than leaving it as an unspoken assumption — is what makes potential and expandable matching work.
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