As has been proven time and again, anything can go wrong during any stage of the hiring process, and that includes during the offer stage.
In fact, the offer stage is definitely not the time to lose focus, if for no other reason than it’s one of the most important stages in the process, if not THE most important.
It’s critical that company officials do and say the correct things during this stage to ensure that the candidate they want to hire accepts the offer. Remember, superstar candidates and top talent are more than likely interviewing with multiple companies and are probably receiving more than one offer.
You need to make your offer stand out from the others, and below are five ways to convince a candidate to accept your offer:
- Set expectations and meet them. Candidates don’t want to be guessing about what’s next in the process or the timeframe involved. You should communicate all of that, and in as much detail as possible. Of course, once you’ve set expectations, you must also meet those expectations. Failure to do so will actually increase the chances that the candidate will decline your offer if one is made.
- Don’t make them wait for the offer. This could be the product of an overly lengthy hiring process, which is bad, or simply not contacting the candidate about the offer immediately upon deciding that the offer should be made, which is worse. Keep the hiring process tight, and once you’ve decided to make an offer, make it!
- Give them enough time to think about the offer. Yes, don’t make them wait . . . and don’t rush them, either. Changing jobs is one of the most stressful decisions a person will make. The last thing you want to do is make it more stressful.
- Make sure the offer mirrors everything you’ve discussed. The offer stage is not the time for surprises. The candidate will not react in a positive fashion to such surprises.
- Let the recruiter present the offer. You’d be surprised by how many companies break this rule and suffer the consequences. Candidates who work with recruiters expect the recruiter to make the offer. After all, they’ve been working with the recruiter throughout the entire process.
Don’t let a misstep during the offer stage derail your plans to hire the best candidates available. Follow the steps outlined above to ensure that once you’ve decided to make an offer to a candidate, you’ve also convinced them to accept that offer.
We help support careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping recruit top talent for the critical needs of organizations. If this is something you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.