When you have managed to find the perfect hire for your company after an intense selection process, it is time to make that offer and hope that the candidate actually thought it was a perfect fit as well. Just like the rest of the recruitment process, making a job offer that counts isn´t as simple as it may sound. Hence, if you want to increase your chances of signing this candidate, there are some important tips and tricks to make sure your job offers count and really makes a chance with the candidate.
- Do your research
Before letting the candidate know you want to make an offer, always do your research to make sure your offer will be competitive in the industry. Do you know what the candidate is earning at the moment? What is the industry standard? What are well-received benefits in the industry? How can you make sure your offer us competitive and stands out without being completely over the top? Of course, this is not an easy step, but it can already be started during the recruitment process in parallel with all the selection activities.
- Don´t wait too long
Once you have made the decision, let the candidate know. Why wait? In addition, since this is such a good candidate, chances are she has offers elsewhere as well and you don´t want to miss out just because you were too late. Therefore, once you have your mind made up, make sure to move fast.
- Pick up the phone
This one is important but always pick up the phone! Never ever let the candidate know via email or messenger apps that you want to offer him the job. A call is much more personal and apart from the fact that you can really let the candidate know you would love to have him on board, you can also get a feeling of their interest.
- Talk about money
Don´t be afraid to talk about money during that first call, be upfront about what offer you are making. Talk about the base salary you are offering, potential bonuses, and other perks that are included in the contract. Explain all the benefits in detail so that the candidate has a good understanding of what the offer exactly entails. And when they say they will think about your offer, you can be sure they have a realistic view of what it means to accept this offer.
- Be willing to negotiate
Leave some small room for negotiation. This is psychology but many candidates feel like they have to negotiate to make sure they got the best possible offer and they get the feeling the company really wants to make an effort to hire them. Knowing this, keep a small margin you can use for negotiation or throw in some additional perks.
- Follow-up in writing
After that first phone call, always follow-up in writing. Send them the formal offer letter with all the aspects on the offer. Provide, either in the email or in a separate document, all the details that you have explained them as well during your call on the benefits (e.g. pay set-up, bonus structure, social benefits, holidays, healthcare and other insurances etc.). Also, make sure your offer letter has a deadline until which it is valid. You need an answer at some point and this way you force the candidate to make a decision relatively quickly.
So in summary, in order to make your job offers count do your research, move fast, always call, talk about the money, be open to negotiation and always follow-up in writing. What are your tips for making relevant job offers? We would love to read your views in the comments!
