Historically, money was the answer to getting your top candidate to accept your offer. Offer the highest salary, and the best benefits, and voila, you’ve got a new employee. If 2021 has taught us anything, this is no longer the path to ensuring your top candidate will accept your offer. Rather, the items you’ll read about below are the things that you’ll need to offer in addition to a fair compensation/ benefits package.
Connect their role to your company’s mission
According to a 2016 Society for Human Resource Management report, 76 percent of working adults said they need to feel their job is meaningful to engage with their company. And in today’s hiring and talent market, the companies that can do this beginning at the interview stage will be poised to win the kind of talent they’ll need for 2022 and beyond.
Offer space to pursue things they’re passionate about
We are seeing candidates take roles not only for an increased salary, but the ability to gain skills or pursue things that their current companies aren’t addressing or allowing. If you ask a candidate meaningful questions about what they like to do, what they want to learn and where they want to go from the first time you meet them, a candidate will remember this, and likely prioritize your role over another organization that seems to be more concerned with how the job is getting done vs. the candidates’ level of job satisfaction or engagement.
Give them a path for promotion
If you’re ever hired and/ or recruited a candidate, you’ve likely heard this question, “how do I get promoted at this company?” First, you’ll want to have an honest answer, and the more clearly you can spell that out, the more confidence you’ll give the candidate that there’s a plan for employees at this organization, and employee contributions are acknowledged and appreciated.
According to the 2015 SHRM/Boston Consulting Group Creating People Advantage global survey report, respondents identified leadership, talent management and strategic workforce planning as three of the top six topics most urgently in need of action by their organizations. It’s not entirely unusual to hear a candidate tell their recruiter after an interview, “I’m not joining the company because they offered me this role, I’m excited about the role after this role.”
Make it personal
It goes without saying that if there wasn’t something about their resume that stood out to you, you probably wouldn’t be interviewing the candidate. But what was it that triggered you to call this candidate? Tell them why you believe they’re the right person for the job. What does this candidate have that no one else does? During the interview he or she will probably give you details that go beyond their resume, and you shouldn’t be afraid to tell them you’re impressed by what you find extraordinary. Not only does this send the message that you’re serious about their candidacy for the role, but people like people who give praise easily and naturally. If you struggle with this, it might benefit you to get some practice in before your next interview.
Of course an excellent salary and above market benefit package will be enough to get candidates to consider your open opportunity, but taking it one step further will actually allow you to win talent the competition wants. This all starts in the interview phase. If you can connect their role to your company’s mission, make it personal, give them a path for promotion, and give them space/ opportunity to pursue things they enjoy or gain skills they aren’t being encouraged to acquire, you’re less likely to experience a candidate turning down your offer.