One mistake we often see hiring managers make is considering the recruitment process to be complete after they deliver the offer letter to their chosen candidate. The hiring manager and their team select their “right fit” candidate, they email the offer, and expect the candidate to accept it. We feel that in this competitive recruitment market, the offer is just another step in the process of getting a candidate to accept the offer. In reality, the real heavy lifting has just begun.
Recruitment in 2023 is challenging, candidates have many options, especially candidates that have a unique skill set that is in demand. Those candidates are typically talking to other suitors and have multiple opportunities and offers to choose from.
A few tips:
- Review the offer line by line with the candidate, hiring manager, and HR together.
- Review the financials , bonus plan calculation, KPI’s, and benefits.
- Connect the candidate with HR to review all aspects of the benefits, don’t leave it up for candidate interpretation.
- Review preferred start date.
Essentially ramp up your efforts, get as close to the candidate as possible as your weeks of hard work literally come down to getting a “yes”. We see too many companies going silent during this process.
Best practices we see include:
- Presenting offer over a dinner to the candidate and their spouse.
- Walking through the offer as a team over a virtual meeting with all key stakeholders involved in “closing” the candidate.
- Have a senior executive or even the owner call the candidate. Have them share their company vision and how that candidate can impact the company.
- Immediately after the offer is extended, send something overnight to the candidate’s home address. It could be an article of company swag/clothing, or a hard copy of a flashy company booklet with owner’s statement – essentially a welcome aboard package. Something that makes an impact at home!
We find it is very important to walk the candidate through the reason they were open to exploring the opportunity in the first place AND how the offer satisfies those needs.
Typical topics include:
- Financial
- Upside commission or bonus
- ESOP or profit sharing
- Team, hiring manager, or culture
- Location
- Growth opportunity
- Company’s product positioning
The list above can get lengthy but it is critical to review and circle back with the candidate about how your offer checks the boxes of what they wanted.
In conclusion, the offer letter is just another step in the recruitment process. You need to do your best work once it has been delivered. The companies that focus their actions on “getting a yes” are closing top candidates, and those that neglect this part of the process are at risk of a walkaway candidate and disappointment.
CONTACT US:
To learn more about how GRN Coastal can help you land top candidates, please contact us!
John Salvadore
Managing Partner
jsalvadore@grncoastal.com
