Job Offer Secrets: How to Seal the Deal with Top Staff!

<div class="grey-callout">
<h2>Key Takeaways</h2>
<ul>
<li>Never assume acceptance: Even with a candidate that has been pre-closed, surprises still happen.</li>
<li>Know what your plan B is: Do you have a reserve candidate?</li>
<li>Salary decisions: Decide on an appropriate salary that balances the candidate’s potential contribution. Manage expectations if the offered salary is less than that advertised.</li>
<li>Probation periods: Use them to mitigate risks associated with new staff.</li>
<li>Phone the candidate: It is the best way to deliver the good news and gauge their response.</li>
<li>Quickly send written offers: Any delays in sending a written job offer can be misconstrued as unprepared or bureaucratic, neither of which is good.</li>
<li>Final Reference Call: Quickly complete final Reference Calls and confirm the candidate’s suitability.</li>
<li>Expect declines: Mentally prepare for candidates declining the job offer. Have a friendly conversation about their reasons and put a reminder in your diary to call them in a month if you’re still recruiting.</li>
<li>Pre-empt and manage counteroffers: Proactively discuss potential counteroffers with the candidate. If they occur, decide whether it is worth negotiating.</li>
</ul>
</div>

‍

Congratulations on being able to make a job offer.

If you have followed the process – discussing salary early in Telephone Interviews, and pre-closing during Structured Interviews – you should be relatively confident the candidate will accept your job offer

Never assume they’ll accept, though! Great Performers often receive counteroffers from their employer, and job offers from competing employers. Additionally, candidates don’t have to disclose everything, and you never know what else might be happening. For these reasons, don’t take anything for granted!

‍

Prepare 

‍

Decide on a salary

When determining a salary, multiple factors must be considered carefully. You need to make an offer that will be accepted and make the candidate feel appreciated. However, they may lack experience and you need to adjust responsibilities and provide training – resulting in a lower salary

You should know the approximate salary range a candidate will consider from the Telephone and Structured Interviews. 

I’m sometimes asked if an employer should make a low offer first. Generally, I consider this too risky because it can be regarded as insulting, and you’ll lose them. The candidate may even write bad reviews about how you wasted their time with a lowball offer. 

Equally, I appreciate that some candidates like to negotiate, so you might start with a good offer and leave a small amount of room for negotiation.

The danger is if you advertised a higher salary than you’re prepared to offer. You might say to them, “As you know, we advertised in the range {£50,000} to {£70,000} because we we’re hoping for slightly more experienced applicants. The good news is that we see your potential to develop. Hence, we would like to start you on {£60,000} and review your salary as you establish yourself in the role”.

‍

Decide on a probation period

Take a moment to consider what you can do if the employee starts but, for whatever reason, doesn’t work out. Employers often manage this risk by using a probation period. In the UK it is common to place a new employee on a six month probation period. During this time, an employee can be dismissed with less notice. After probation, changes may apply to the employee’s salary, notice period, job title, pension, health insurance, etc. It’s important to be clear with the candidate about these changes and it is often covered in a contract of employment.

I’ve never had a candidate decline a role because there was a probation period; they’re very common, and candidates rarely think about failure.

‍

Expect the candidate to decline your job offer

By this stage, if you’ve followed my advice, it is less likely that a candidate will decline your job offer – but I expect them to because:

• It prevents apathy: Continue selling to the candidate through your choice of words and an upbeat tonality.
• It prepares you for rejection: You are prepared, practically and emotionally.
• It reminds you to have a plan B: Knowing your options is essential so you’re not caught off guard. It’s good to know if you have reserve candidates, as this may influence how you react if the candidate doesn’t accept. (Don’t inform reserve candidates that the job has been filled until the top candidate has accepted and their final references have been checked.)

‍

<span class="purple-callout"><p>If you could use expert help, I'm available for a chat and can offer practical support. Get your free consultation.</p><p>Plus, my best-selling recruiting book could be an excellent resource for you.</p><p>I can also advertise a job on the UK's leading job sites for only £199.</p></span>

‍

Making a Job Offer

‍

Try not to make a job offer via a recruitment agency

If a recruitment agency has introduced the applicant, you should try to make a job offer directly to the candidate. The agency won’t like this because they’ll lose control of the situation in the following ways:

• Commission complications: They may have introduced the candidate to other customers who pay more commission. They may try to delay making your job offer so they have more options.
• Commission pressure: A minority of salespeople try to manipulate candidates into accepting a job.
• They may not trust you: They may think you’ll offer the candidate a higher salary but tell the recruitment consultant a lower one to reduce their commission. When I worked as a recruitment consultant, this happened a few times. (You should never try this, as the candidate will consider it unprofessional, dishonest, and it’s unlawful.)
• Offering a job is nuanced: As you’re about to learn, making a job offer is relatively complicated, and a lot can go wrong for the uninitiated. Therefore, a more experienced recruitment consultant may want to control the process. Don’t let this put you off though; I’m about to guide you through it and as with all things, the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it

If necessary, reassure the recruiter that you’ll inform them of the candidate’s decision immediately and that they can see a copy of the job offer letter. 

But they can ultimately refuse, and you may have to let them deliver the job offer.

‍

Always phone the candidate

Don’t email a candidate with a job offer because it can be wrongly perceived as, “This is what you’ll have to accept”.

The best way to inform a successful candidate is to phone and have a conversation. This allows you to better understand if your job offer will be accepted and gives an opportunity to answer any questions the candidate might have.

‍

Ensure there are no surprises

It is important to pause and ensure you’ve covered all the candidate’s questions. Otherwise, monetary, and non-monetary issues can get tangled up, making it difficult to move forward

“I want to be sure this is the job you want. So, let’s talk more about the opportunity. Based on what you’ve heard so far, on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is ‘What a waste of time’ and 10 is ‘Where do I sign?’, how are we doing?”

Listen for hesitations and subtle clues in tonality. I want the candidate to sell to me because it’s more powerful than trying to convince them. If they score below an eight, you’ve got an opportunity to understand what would be needed to get them higher.

“What additional information do you need before you’d be able to make a decision about this job?”

Even if they previously gave a “10”, be consultative and get any information required.

“If we could make you an offer, how long would you need to make a decision?”

Understanding a candidate’s timeline can be helpful. You might discover that they have competing offers or are going on holiday.

‍

Make the job offer

“Well, we’ve had some great meetings. The good news is we felt that you would be the most successful at the company because {reasons}.  And for those reasons, I am delighted to make you an offer, on a starting salary of {£60,000} and based on {terms (eg. probation period, satisfactory references)}. How does that sound to you?” 

‍

<span class="grey-callout"><span class="text-color-purple">Tip:</span> Making a job offer is such a critical stage in the recruitment process, if you lack experience or confidence, consider honing your pitch by role-playing with colleagues.</span>

‍

It’s not necessarily what the candidate says next that matters, but how they say it. I want them to sound excited, as if they’ve just won the lottery!

‍

The Candidate Accepts!

By this point, you’ve already spoken to their previous bosses but not to their current employer, so if the candidate accepts, say, “That’s great! Shall I take that as verbal acceptance you’re happy to accept?”... “Great. I’ll email you the offer letter. We need you to arrange a Reference Call with your current employer. Is that still okay?”

‍

Pre-empt a counteroffer

They’ll likely receive a counteroffer if they’re a Great Performer because no employer wants to lose a great member of staff. Prepare the applicant for this situation by discussing it with them on the same call:

“When do you think you’ll meet your boss to tell them you’re leaving?”

Diarise to call the candidate afterwards and offer support.

“How do you think your boss will react when you hand in your notice?”

Talk to them about how their boss might react when they resign and reassure them that employees hand in their notice all the time.

“How do you think you’ll respond if they make you a counteroffer?”

Remind them why they must move jobs to solve their career problems.

‍

Wrap up the call

Before finishing the call, ask the candidate, “Do you have any questions before I go?”

Then, ensure you wrap up sounding excited about them joining the company. “If you have any questions, I’m always here to help. Congratulations again, I look forward to seeing you soon.”

‍

Confirm the Offer

‍

Make a written job offer immediately

Unfortunately, many candidates have received a verbal job offer that has later been withdrawn, and so they keep looking for work. Therefore, send a written job offer immediately.

Even if you must wait for contracts to be drawn up, I strongly recommend sending something in writing to reassure them. Don’t let a candidate slip through your fingers because of bureaucracy.

You should usually email the following information:

• Job title.
• Salary. 
• Official start date.
• Location of the role. 
• Probation period. 
• The conditions under which the job offer is made (see below).
• Any action required by the candidate, possibly including a deadline.
• Instructions on accepting the job offer – they should have to write back confirming acceptance.
• Employment contracts.

Some conditions to consider including are:

1. Receiving satisfactory references.
2. Confirming educational and professional qualifications.
3. Proving eligibility to work in the country.
4. Completion of a probationary period. 
5. Background checks, passing a criminal records check.

‍

Chase written confirmation from the candidate

I’m always apprehensive if a candidate does not quickly provide written acceptance of a job offer. They should have no more questions or hesitations and instead be excited to secure the job offer. I’d expect them to go home and hug their family in delight, tell their mum, and update their friends.

So, if you don’t get written confirmation, it is often because they are considering competing offers and are stalling for time.

Call the candidate the next working day to check that they received everything. If they haven’t received the email or had the time to read it, I would be concerned as this is unusual

If you still have not received written confirmation the next day, call the candidate again. With an empathetic and curious tone, say, “I notice that we haven’t received written confirmation from you and, I understand it’s a big decision. So I wanted to call to see what concerns you have?” Notice that you’re pre-empting the candidate’s concerns and allowing them to be raised.

Whilst you can try to manage the situation, it may be appropriate to consider your plan B. Even if they return written confirmation, I’d make additional effort by keeping in touch to ensure they start.

‍

Make Final Reference Calls and Background Checks

You must not lose momentum, so make the final Reference Call to the candidate’s current employer as soon as possible. 

As soon as you’re happy with everything, tell the candidate.

If a candidate doesn’t meet the conditions of your job offer, you may be entitled to withdraw it. Nevertheless, I recommend you get professional legal advice before doing this.

‍

What To Do When Job Offers Go Wrong

There is not a foolproof way of ensuring job offers are immediately accepted. Quite a few things can go wrong, but it may be possible to turn the situation around.

‍

The candidate is unsure or wants to “Think about it”

Some candidates make important decisions by thinking about them for a short amount of time.

How you react to a hesitant candidate is critical. Even if you’re frustrated, never abruptly say, “What do you need to think about?” Instead, compassionately say, “No problem. I understand it’s a big decision, and we want to ensure it’s a good two-way fit. What concerns do you have?”

Candidates may have all sorts of concerns:

• Fear of change and the unknown: Often, they’ve decided to leave their current job with their head, but still have a fear of the unknown in their heart.
• Lack of knowledge (real or perceived): A great solution is inviting them to meet potential colleagues and discuss the role in more detail.
• Imposter syndrome: They may feel that they’re not good enough for the job. This is a tough call as you want a confident new employee who can contribute immediately. If you’re sure your recruitment procedure was robust, give them an ego boost and remind them that they were the best candidate at the end of a thorough process.
• It’s a massive change: For example, they could be relocating and often it’s not just their decision. This is tricky because you should avoid asking about personal matters unless they’ve volunteered the information.

If you feel they’re stalling and you have reserve candidates in the wings, you should probably set a deadline. For example, you could say, “Obviously, we’re keen to fill the vacancy and don’t want to lose other candidates, so I can give you until the weekend to decide”. However, avoid portraying it as a “detonating offer” which will blow up if they don’t accept it within 48 hours.

‍

The candidate wants to negotiate salary

It’s common for Great Performers and senior executives to negotiate, so don’t be surprised. But don’t expect requests to be elegant; sometimes they can be clumsy, especially when candidates don’t have much negotiation experience.

Candidates may have unrealistic expectations because:

• A recruitment consultant may have misled candidates into thinking they will be offered more money.
• Well-meaning friends and family members might have encouraged them to ask for more, without understanding market conditions. 
• A candidate may have seen other jobs advertised at higher salaries without appreciating the broader context. For example, a role in a city centre might pay more to compensate for expensive and time-consuming commutes.

You’ve come this far, so don’t immediately say, “No”. Begin by learning what the issue seems to be; “I appreciate why you’d like more money, all of us would, but I’d like to revisit some of our previous conversations because you seemed excited about our role. We worked hard to get the salary that you initially suggested would be acceptable – so I’m a little surprised now that you’re asking for more money”.

If you’ve presented your best offer, make them aware of this.

If they are still pushing you, find out if it is a deal-breaker; “If I can’t get you {£5,000} more, are you saying you’ll walk away from this opportunity and we should recruit someone else for the role?”

“What if I can only meet you halfway?”

“Is there any scenario where you’d be able to accept less money if I can’t get any more?”

Now get confirmation: “So If I can get you {£5,000}, can I have your 100% commitment that you’d accept it? I only want to ask for this if I’m convinced this will close the deal”.

Finally, you need to ensure that if you come back with the offer they want, there won’t be any more surprises. So I’d finally ask, “Is there anything else I need to know?”... “Has anything else changed?”

‍

The candidate gets a competing offer from another employer

It is very likely a candidate has been actively interviewing and considering multiple job opportunities. If the candidate turns down your offer, don’t immediately offer them more money; politely say, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. If you don’t mind me asking, what influenced your decision?”

Ask questions in a neutral tone to learn more information:

• Ask, “What do you see in this other job vs. our job?”
• Go back over their motivations and how well your job matches.
• Remind them of their previous excitement and your excitement about them joining.
• Highlight why now is the best time to join. Perhaps your company is growing due to an investment or an improved product/service.

If appropriate, consider making a counteroffer.

Importantly, don’t be too salesy or talk negatively about another company. If you genuinely know something negative about the competitor, suggest they do a lot of research: “Promise me that you’ll do some thorough research and ask around because you might find an unwelcome surprise”. Alternatively, if you’ve lost a few employees to a competitor and they have returned, mention it, and provide some insights or an opportunity for them to speak with those colleagues.

If all else fails, say, “Naturally, we’d love to reconsider you for our company, so if you change your mind, please call me first”.  Then set a diary reminder to call the candidate in one month and see if their circumstances have changed.

If nothing else, you will gather market intelligence to improve your chances next time.

‍

The candidate gets a counteroffer from their employer

Expect all Great Performers to get counteroffers from their current employers.

Significant research shows that 50% of employees accepting a counteroffer will leave within the next 12 months (CEB Corporate Leadership Council, 2022). Often, employees want to leave because of poor management or limited prospects. But their employer might try to patch up the situation with a salary increase and fail to address the underlying issue. 

Sometimes, the employer may tactically use a counteroffer to buy more time while they find a replacement.

When dealing with a counteroffer, you need to ensure you:

1. Know why the candidate is really leaving.
2. Make a fair and attractive job offer in the first place.
3. Fully understand what the counteroffer includes so you can question whether it meets the candidate’s objectives.

Typically, a conversation with a candidate would go, “We expected a counteroffer because it happens all the time. Employers often try to pacify employees with a salary increase but fail to fix the real issue. Or they make a counteroffer to buy more time while finding a replacement. How confident are you that they haven’t done the same to you?”

You may need to make a counteroffer to the counteroffer; “If we increased the salary to {£65,000}, are you confirming that it would make you say a polite and final ‘No’ to anything your employer responded with?”

But don’t get carried away in a bidding war. It’s sometimes better to keep in touch and see how things develop. Simply leave it at, “Obviously, we’d like the opportunity to make another job offer in the future. So if you think things still haven’t improved in a few months, please get in touch”. Again, set a diary reminder to call them in one month. If you’re still recruiting for the role, contact them to see if their circumstances have changed. 

‍

Additional Resources

• Recruitment book; The Secrets of Great Recruitment: How to Recruit Great Employees
• Downloadable PDF guide; Expert Tips on How to Make & Negotiate Job Offers.
• Article; Offering a Job Offer: A Crucial Step in Your Recruitment Process.