Once you have attracted, recruited, and interviewed candidates for employment, the fourth stage of the Employee Life Cycle is to make a job offer and officially hire your new employee. This blog will cover my top ten tips for hiring new employees.
Choose the right candidate
When interviews with all job candidates are complete, it’s time to select someone to hire. Gather your interviewers together and compare notes. If possible, use objective criteria to score the candidates based on essential attributes to your organization. You may also take a more subjective approach and go on gut feeling or taking a vote, but this is less scientific and prone to going wrong. Either way, try to reach a consensus among the interviewers, with the hiring manager making the final decision.
Time is of the essence
People looking for new employment don’t want to wait to get hired. They might be in a hostile work environment, eager to jump ship, or could currently be unemployed and desperately need a job. Others could be passively interested in switching companies; in this case, they might not be in such a hurry. As the hiring organization, you are in the driver’s seat and decide the speed and pace of the hiring process. It’s crucial to understand which position the potential employee is coming from so you can adapt accordingly.
It’s an employee’s market
Another thing to point out (again) is that it’s an employee’s market right now. Employers are at a disadvantage because there is so much competition for talent. There are far more jobs available than qualified candidates to fill them, so while you might be holding out for the ideal candidate, you might not have the luxury of doing so. Suppose someone meets the minimum qualifications for the position and can learn the other necessary skills. In this case, it’s probably worth rolling the dice to get the person in the door.
Make a verbal offer
Before going through the trouble of preparing a formal offer letter, it’s a best practice to make a verbal offer first. Share the most pertinent details of the offer, including salary, job title, and expected start date. Do this in-person, via phone, or videoconference. Set up a time to chat and share the offer’s details with the person. Express your excitement about the possibility of the candidate joining the company. Don’t expect the person to say “yes” immediately; most candidates want to think an offer over, perhaps discuss it with their spouse, or consider your offer against others on the table. Don’t be offended by this – say that you totally understand and look forward to hearing their decision.
Negotiate the best deal
If you’ve made a verbal offer, but some of the details didn’t quite meet the candidate’s expectations, then it’s time to negotiate. Many things are open for negotiation when trying to make a hire. Sometimes you need to get creative. Your organization’s budget or allowable pay ranges for specific roles may constrain you if it’s only about salary. If you need to get an exception to exceed a salary amount, you might have to try to do that. But if it’s not all about pay, consider some of these ideas for sweetening the deal:
- Signing bonus
- Free parking
- Extra paid vacation
- Stock options, shares, or equity
- Gym membership
- Cell phone and internet reimbursement
- Performance bonuses
- Flexible schedule
- Care.com account to find childcare
- You get the point…
…the point is that you might be stuck if the income is the only negotiating point. But if you can be creative, you might influence a candidate to say yes if you offer them something they want or appreciate.
Get verbal acceptance
Once you have negotiated a deal that works for your organization and the candidate, you must secure a commitment. If the person is waffling and can’t say “yes,” then you might start considering the next best candidate. Again, give the person time to think things over, but not too long. Give the candidate a drop-date that you must have an answer. Be proactive about getting a response. If they don’t call you, you ought to call them; this will show your genuine interest (people like being pursued) and keep your offer top-of-mind. You can start the formal hiring process when the candidate finally agrees to accept the position verbally.
What if your preferred candidate doesn’t accept?
Yes, people reject jobs sometimes; this is normal. Switching jobs is a scary thing for most people, regardless of how enticing your offer may be. It’s usually a massive change, and it’s not uncommon for candidates to get cold feet. Don’t take this personally – it’s not about you or your company. Sometimes people change their minds and decide to stay put where they’re comfortable; other times, someone accepts a better offer that is more in line with their interests. Let it go and move on to another candidate.
Speed up the hiring process
Once you’ve decided to make someone offer – don’t delay. Because it’s an employee’s market, there is fierce competition, and just like in any fight, the one who gets there first usually wins. So, if you want to get your first-choice candidate, do everything you can to speed up the hiring process. Please don’t make your ideal candidate wait, or they’ll go elsewhere. If you have to cut through red tape to speed things up – do it, or you’ll regret it when the person says they have accepted another offer.
Send out a formal offer letter
After getting verbal acceptance, follow up with a formal offer letter (by email, snail mail, or both) within a couple of days. Most candidates don’t feel like they have the job until they see it in writing. A formal offer is like a binding legal document, and often the new hire is required to sign the acceptance letter and send it back to the employer to seal the deal. The company and the new hire have a lot of time and energy invested in the relationship, so be sure to make things official.
Communicate before the start date to confirm details
Once you’ve sent the formal offer letter and the candidate signs it, you have an employment agreement. However, it doesn’t mean that the person won’t cut and run at this point if they get a better offer. I have seen this happen too often to not think of it as a risk. Nothing is guaranteed until the new hire shows up on the first day. Make sure you stay connected with the employee in between when they officially accept the job and their starting date. It lets the person know that they are valued and confirms your commitment to them. The best companies also send out gift packages with company-branded goodies to get the new hire excited to start.
Final Thoughts
You might think that once you pick a candidate to hire, it’s a done deal; sadly, it’s far from it. A lot of work goes into securing your new hire, ensuring your offer is accepted and having the employee show up for the first day of work. Be proactive in your communications; keep the person informed every step of the way. Go on the journey together, and you’ll start on a sound footing.
Check out the other blogs that discuss the stages of the Employee Life Cycle:
- How to Understand the Employee Life Cycle
- 10 Ways to Attract Potential New Employees
- 10 Ways to Recruit Potential New Employees
- Top 10 Tips for Interviewing Potential New Employees
Next up: onboarding new employees. Thoughtful and intentional onboarding makes a considerable difference in the employee’s experience and increases their likelihood of staying with your company once hired. Many companies do a horrible job with this process; don’t be like them.
Now, what are your thoughts on hiring? Where have you seen things go astray when hiring? If you were a candidate at some point, did you experience any delays or lack of communication that caused you to entertain alternate offers? I would love to hear what hiring managers and job seekers have experienced. Please share in the comment below!