I like to say that people are the ultimate variable – there are almost limitless possibilities, variations, surprises, etc.  One aspect of hiring that often gets overlooked is motivation.  In sales, money is the common, assumed motivator.  In many cases this is accurate, but money motivation can manifest itself in different forms.  Our website illustrates some subtle differences between motivators.

Selling Power has an article that speaks in slightly more general terms.  I think these 4 are quite accurate in terms of my own interviewing of candidates.  The second one is quite prevalent amongst Gen Y:

• Situations. This usually doesn’t have anything to do with the actual job, says Radin. It’s something outside of the job that creates the need to make a change. Situational motivators could be a long commute, a spouse transfer, or that the company dropped its health benefits.
• Opportunity. If a candidate is at a job and there is something that she really wants to do – a new responsibility or working with a new technology – and it’s not and will never be available at her present job, it could be a motivator for change. Ask, “What is it that you want, that you will never get at your job now?” and you’ll discover an underlying motivator.
• Dissatisfaction. If there is something happening at work that’s driving a candidate crazy and it won’t change, it could be enough to prompt a job change. For example, if the owner of the company is the driving force behind something that is bothering the person, it may never change and the candidate has to realize that and move on. However, if the candidate had his proposal refused or doesn’t get along with his officemate, this person could be looking for a new job out of impulse. This is where the hiring manager has to recognize that the motivator isn’t real, as it’s something that could be resolved, and therefore isn’t a real reason to change jobs. The hiring manager’s job is to figure out the real motivators.
• Money. On a professional level, money typically doesn’t come into play unless it materially affects a person’s lifestyle or self-esteem, says Radin. “Offering professionals more money to take your job is usually a losing proposition,” he says. “The incumbent company can just match that and 95 out of 100 times, the person will stay where he is if there aren’t other considerations motivating him. When it comes to money if you get in a bidding war, it’s not going to make the difference. I’ve worked with candidates who have taken pay cuts because the new job addressed other needs.

That last one is a bit foreign to us in sales recruiting and assessing, but I think it is still valid.  I also believe that money discussions are more smoke than anything else in an employment discussion.  Typically there is more to the decision than just money whether the candidate reveals that information or not.

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