Remove the risk in extending an offer; never play it by ear - discover how to know it will be accepted by a candidate

Posted by Mark Bohdanyk on June 14, 2021

Last week, we discussed knowing the best interview questions to ask here, so this week's part was the next logical step.  "Ok, so now that we're asking the right questions, we tend to lose a lot of people after the offer.  How can we fix that?"  She asked.

"So remember when I said that all the things we've been discussing flow into one another?  One of the first things you need to look at is Company Branding and Reputation."
 
According to Glassdoor, 84% of candidates would consider leaving their current jobs if offered a job with a company that has a better reputation.  On the flip side of that, 69% would refuse a job with a company that has a bad reputation.
 
But honestly, when push comes to shove, the most important things a candidate is looking for is salary/compensation, advancement, location, work-life balance and company culture.
 
Culture can very much be used as a selling point in the negotiation process.  
We had an organization that were ping pong fanatics.  They worked hard, but everyone on the team loved ping pong.  They would bring in a professional trainer to work with the staff weekly.  And where was that reflected in their job description?  Nowhere.
 
Once we changed their title to 'Ping Pong-Loving Engineer,' they started attracting the right candidates for their culture.
 
Perhaps your company does provided meals, commuter benefits or other things that might be used to help sell the candidate on culture as well as compensation.
 
"This last bit is something my boss taught me," I told my HR friend.
 
"Never send an offer letter without knowing if it will be accepted."  She thought about this and started to boggle.  "How will I know that?" she sputtered. "There's no way to know that!"
 
"Sure there is.  It's the simplest and hardest thing for most recruiters to do.  Ask."
 
You've walked with your candidates through this journey, when it comes to the most important part, many recruiters simply don't ask the question.
 
"John, we've been working on this for a couple weeks; the interviews are done, the company likes you; I think they're going to extend an offer.  If it comes in with Salary and Compensation of X and Benefits of Y, will you accept it?"  
 
Now, does this prevent you from a candidate ever changing their mind? No.  But it is a conversation that should happen and it will greatly reduce the number of folks who disappear or bring huge surprises to the table.  Plus, by having that conversation before an offer is made, if there ARE any other candidate requests, they will most likely let you know now so that you can work with the hiring team on them before the offer is extended.  
 
Asking that one simple question will not only strengthen the recruiter/candidate relationship, but it will also help you know that your offer will most likely be accepted, since it's already been asked and answered.

Who are we?  HireMojo with RecruiterShare is a diverse team of individuals with over 65 years of combined hiring experience.  We use our knowledge and know-how to help companies hire faster, easier and less expensively, while utilizing AI and software learning to reduce the amount of time it takes on all sides of the hiring equation.  We design tools to help allow you to concentrate on the human parts of hiring – interviewing, negotiating and making the hire.  Learn more about HireMojo here.  We also design tools to help you expand your team by matching you with recruiters willing to administrate your entire hiring process at a fraction of traditional agencies.  Learn more about RecruiterShare here.

Brian Vogel of sensibleHR says:
Like its parent HireMojo, RecruiterShare, is changing the landscape of recruiting. I have referred their services repeatedly to sensibleHR's clients and the level of high-touch service along with the speedy delivery of a premier candidate pool has been nothing short of jaw-dropping. Sure the initial mind-boggling low cost may be the initial hook, but it is the service from the stable of recruiters and quality candidates that drive the loyalty and high satisfaction.

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