You have put the time and effort into recruiting for your job opening and you have identified the best candidate for your role. Now you are ready to make the job offer that will secure them as a new employee in your business.
We are going to uncover many important elements about how to get your job offers accepted.
This guide is broken down into the following:
The speed of your job offers
First off, let the successful candidate know that you want them. Whether you are speaking to your FRAME Recruitment Consultant or the candidate directly, make sure you do so as quickly as possible to ensure they know you are going to make them an offer.
Action this as soon as your decision has been made. Remember, candidates that are participating in interviews are keen to hear how they have performed and whether they have been successful or not. Slow feedback can be frustrating and can leave a negative impression. A delay can also increase the chances of the candidate attending other interviews and potentially receiving competing job offers.
The candidate now knows you want them, and no doubt they are excited to see your job offer.
The importance of getting your job offer right, the first time
After spending time recruiting, it will be frustrating for you if the job offer is turned down. Equally, it can be disappointing for a candidate if the job offer is not what they expected and does not include the things they were anticipating.
Your FRAME Recruitment Consultant has shared with you the expectations of the candidate in terms of salary and has also highlighted certain benefits that are important to them and/or benefits that they are currently entitled to. In the interview process, you would also have gathered information about the person. You may now know things like whether they have a family, how they like to work, their commuting distance, training needs, career aspirations and whether they will need to relocate.
All these insights put you in a great position to make a fantastic offer that will get accepted. You can analyse their salary and benefits expectations against your budget and the value proposition you offer to create a package that is perfect for them as an individual. Adding in extras they have not talked about is still going to look great.
Let us focus on some of the other reasons why getting the job offer right the first time is so important.
Great candidates are in demand
If your favourite candidate is interviewing with you, there is a chance that they are interviewing with other businesses too. You will know this through your interview questions as well as the insight your FRAME Recruitment Consultant has provided you.
If they are interviewing with other businesses and they are a great candidate it is likely that this candidate will have other job offers under consideration.
No one wants to lose a great employee
It is likely that their current employer will not want to let them go. Whether it is because they will leave a huge knowledge gap in their team or because it will be hard to replace them, counteroffers are commonplace right now.
The candidate wants to get what they are worth
More than ever, candidates know what they are worth. It is a candidates’ market. It is unlikely that they are going to accept a job offer that does not reflect their market value or the value they know they can bring to your business.
Remember, people have more information available to them than ever before. Whether this is salary data, benefits packages or job adverts in the market. There are many resources that they can access.
The reality of changing jobs can be daunting
Changing jobs is one of the biggest decisions people can make. Whilst they would have put a lot of thought into this already, it can still be tough accepting the offer and ultimately making the move. It can be even harder for people who feel loyal to their current employer or even their colleagues and customers. Humans can easily revert to ‘what they know’.
A persuasive job offer could really make the difference from daunting to exciting.
A salary is simply not enough anymore
We are past the times when making an offer that includes just a salary being enough. People’s expectations have changed and have accelerated over the pandemic period. They want to see a package, not just a salary.
If a salary is not enough, what should you be including in your job offer?
What to include in a job offer
What should you include and how should you break it down?
Salary
This should still be the first part of the offer package you put forward. It is best practice to show this as the annual salary before tax.
If it is a contract role, be clear on whether the numeric value is per hour, per day, etc.
Performance related pay
Include information on any bonuses or extra payments that will be included. You do not need to go into every specific about this but providing a clear picture of what is on offer will make the job offer look more attractive.
Annual leave entitlement
People rate work-life balance with high importance and understanding the time they can have off throughout the year will be significant to them. Specify what is paid and what is not. State whether public holidays are included or in addition.
Healthcare provision
Healthcare provision for individuals and families has grown in importance since 2020. Be explicit here whether it includes medical and/or dental and if it is just for them as an individual or if it will include their family too.
Company car/car allowance/travel allowance
If this is going to be provided, put it in the job offer. You may also consider adding an approximate value to this as it can be beneficial to the candidate to understand its worth.
Pension and death in service
Pensions are important. We will all (hopefully) reach an age where we will retire from work and will want a retirement fund to contribute to enjoying this part of our lives. As we progress in our careers, pensions tend to become increasingly important.
People with loved ones appreciate seeing that there will be provisions made if anything happens to them. If you provide death in service, add this to the job offer. If you can, give it an approximate value too.
Working styles
Let us start with flexible working. We have seen some significant changes in how people want to work. Not only is it worth highlighting if any remote working is on offer, but also clarify if you offer flexible hours too.
Other benefits to consider
You may not want to create an exhaustive list of the employee benefits that make up your offer package. However, what you do want to show is the things that will make your job offer stand out. Other benefits to consider including in the offer are:
Gym membership
Personal development fund
Shopping or service discounts
Discounted childcare/childcare facilities
Office perks – for example, free lunches, recreation facilities
It is also worth noting whether you offer any benefits that can be bought and sold.
Do not neglect to add professional development and in-house training
One of the most cited reasons by employees when asked what shows that their employer is invested in them, is that they provide in-house training and professional development.
Make a great first impression by telling them right from the start that you are going to invest in them.
Leaving the candidate with no doubt that you want them
The market is fiercely competitive, and the best people are in demand. Make sure your job offer leaves the candidate in no doubt that you:
are highly motivated to recruit them
are offering a well-rounded, robust, and valuable job offer package
have created something competitive and the best that you can offer
Final thoughts
Getting a job offer right is worth the time investment to ensure you secure your favourite candidate. Do not be concerned if a candidate asks to discuss the offer. This is your chance to sell the role and ensure that they can only say yes to the offer.
If you need further advice on creating job offers, then please do reach out:
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