If you talk to the best venture capitalists, they’ll tell you that they invest in people – not just in ideas or companies. To them, the most important attribute is to have trust and confidence in the people behind the businesses they back.
It’s the same situation when you want to bring talented individuals on to your team. They aren’t investing their professional lives in a company, they’re investing it in a group of people. It’s important not to lose sight of this.
During the interviewing process, and especially during the offer stage, it is important to establish and maintain a strong connection between the candidate and future supervisor.
Once you’ve decided who you want to hire, don’t assume that everything got covered in the interview. The candidate likely has additional questions that they just haven’t asked yet. Appreciate that changing employers is a huge decision and they should not be presented with a cold “here’s our offer – take it or leave it” attitude. Stay in contact with the candidate, or the personal connection can erode, resulting in them losing interest.
To maintain this connection, make sure there are conversations about:
- General expectations,
- Schedule flexibility,
- Vacation issues,
- Raise and review procedures,
- Bonus potential,
- The general future of the company,
- The candidate’s potential career path within the company.
The main goal is to instill confidence and generate some excitement so that they feel they are making the right decision by accepting the offer.
It’s critical, takes very little effort, and the results are rewarding.