We’re operating in a candidate-driven market. The best candidates have three options:
- Stay with their current employer,
- Accept your offer,
- Accept a competing offer.
Realistically, your company’s offer and any competing offers are probably very similar. And, while the candidate’s current position might not be ideal, at least it’s a known commodity and presumably a work environment that’s reasonably comfortable.
How can you differentiate your company and land the top candidates?
Develop strong relationships with the professionals you want to bring on board.
It’s certainly important to cultivate those relationships during the interviewing stage, but it becomes critical during the offer stage, and here’s why:
The recruiting process often turns into a sterile, legal, business transaction when companies make offers.
During the interview process, your top candidate had the opportunity to make personal connections and experience some warm fuzzies with his or her supervisor-to-be, and perhaps others on the team. Suddenly that evaporates when there’s an offer on the table!
The offer stage isn’t the time to stop cultivating the relationship; it’s the time to make those warm fuzzies sizzle! Have the supervisor call the candidate. Have the CEO call. Remember: We don’t work for companies as much as we work with people.
If you can nurture these relationships during the offer stage, not only will you have an advantage over competing offers, you’ll lessen the importance of comfort at your candidate’s current job.
Bond with them, and ultimately, you’ll land more of the best candidates.