4 Tips for Making Successful Job Offers


The interviews are completed, the paperwork is all filled out for Human Resources, and you have decided that this is the right candidate for the job. Now comes the formal job offer. Here are four tips to increase the success rate of your job offers:

1. No Surprises: During the recruitment process, information should be mutually exchanged between candidate and potential employer. Beyond the simple job description and duties, each side should have detailed their general perceptions and expectations about the role. Both the candidate and the employer should know what the reasonable compensation requirements and guidelines are for the position. Going into the offer stage, the employer is responsible for making certain he understands what compensation figure, or at least compensation range, it would take to acquire the candidate. The candidate is also responsible for relaying and confirming this figure sometime during the process. It is best if both sides reinforce this number, or given range of compensation before the offer is made.

2. Make it professional; Make it in writing: No candidate should ever accept a job offer without a written offer letter. Verbal job offers will simply not cut the mustard in today's world. Job offers should be well written and spell out all the details of the position, the compensation package, and all other associated terms of employment (insurance, benefits, vacation), including pre-employment qualifiers which may include drug testing and background verification. The offer letter should be accompanied by any additional forms to be completed by the candidate and any explanatory information regarding insurance matters.

3. Personally extend the offer: While Human Resources will be integrally involved in the offer formulation and paperwork preparation, as hiring manager you should make it a point to personally extend the offer. This should be done at the employer's place of business. Any immediate staff members that have been involved in the recruitment and hiring decision should be invited to "drop by" and welcome the candidate to the team.

4. Timing is everything: The offer letter should contain an automatic expiration date. Example: "This offer expires at the close of business on Month Date, Year." While not intended as a pressure tactic, it is intended to demonstrate that the employer needs a decision. The candidate is either in or out by the stated date. One additional note on timing: Never make an offer to a candidate on a Friday. There is rarely any opportunity for the candidate or employer to clarify any questions or issues over the weekend. This can lead to poor results. We recommend making offers on Mondays or Tuesdays with deadlines on Thursdays or Fridays. That way, if there are any issues that need clarification, that dialogue can take place immediately.

Finding strong candidates and recruiting them is a constant challenge for all employers. Getting them to the offer stage is difficult enough. Following these four tips will certainly increase your likelihood of offer acceptance.

Executive recruiter William Werksman is a frequent columnist to job boards including http://www.NevadaJobBoard.com addressing both the candidate's and employer's perspective. Werksman's expertise has been featured in business magazines, national newspapers and television news segments. His firm, Resource Partners, is recognized as the leading source of specialized and executive talent in the Casino and Gaming industry. He manages a staff of recruiters out of his firm's Las Vegas, Nevada headquarters. He may be reached at: Bill@CareerInsider.com or (702)248-1028.







Related News



New committee working on five-year plan to improve job prospects - Kawartha Media Group

New committee working on five-year plan to improve job prospects
Kawartha Media Group, Canada -Oct 14, 2008
Employment Ontario is part of the $1.5 billion Skills to Jobs Action Plan to train Ontarians for new careers and build on the province’s competitive edge in ...


Bye-bye to career employment for Baby Boomer men - Examiner.com

Examiner.com

Bye-bye to career employment for Baby Boomer men
Examiner.com -Oct 1, 2008
"Career employment – meaning employment with a single employer from middle age to retirement – is no longer the norm. So if workers are to remain in the ...

Springboards for life in careers elsewhere - Financial Times

Springboards for life in careers elsewhere
Financial Times, UK -4 hours ago
Although the small state offers only restricted employment choices for graduates the average expected wage in the oil-rich country is the second highest in ...

City Expands Job Training For Public Housing Residents - NY1

NY1

City Expands Job Training For Public Housing Residents
NY1, NY -12 hours ago
Building careers, that's what the city says it's trying to do by helping public housing residents land jobs and training opportunities. Something employment...

Apprentices start building a career - Bradford Telegraph Argus

Apprentices start building a career
Bradford Telegraph Argus, UK -10 hours ago
Mohammed, 18, and Shaun, 19, were both recruited by Lovell from Accent Community Partnerships, which delivers construction-based training and employment...

Green Jobs Transition Must Accelerate - Policy Innovations

Green Jobs Transition Must Accelerate
Policy Innovations, NY -7 hours ago
The report forecasts that millions of cleaner careers could be generated by 2030, with as many as 20 million new jobs in the energy alternatives sector ...

The Grades recruitment event: White men in braces need not apply... - Independent

The Grades recruitment event: White men in braces need not apply...
Independent, UK -5 hours ago
The title is an acronym, its aim being to promote graduate careers to all, irrespective of Gender, Religion, Age, Disability, Ethnicity or Sexuality. ...

Arbitrability of USERRA Claims: Battle on the Home Front - Law.com (subscription)

Arbitrability of USERRA Claims: Battle on the Home Front
Law.com (subscription), CA -Oct 14, 2008
For those who do not seek a lifelong military career, the costs include the forgone opportunity for advancement in civilian employment. ...

Shifting Careers In Hard Times, Lawyers Advise Cautious Steps - New York Times

Shifting Careers In Hard Times, Lawyers Advise Cautious Steps
New York Times, United States -Oct 11, 2008
By MARCI ALBOHER AS the turmoil on Wall Street continued, I sat down with two employment lawyers — Zachary Hummel, who represents employers, and Mark Risk, ...

Health Care Marketing Industry Day to offer employment opportunities - Hattiesburg American

Health Care Marketing Industry Day to offer employment opportunities
Hattiesburg American, MS -7 hours ago
... Sanofi Aventis and others will have booths to meet and recruit students and local residents interested in pharmaceutical and health care sales careers. ...