You’ve just made a job offer to a top-of-the-line candidate who had expressed great interest in your company and your opening. Your job offer is rejected. What are you doing wrong?
Job Offer Made Three Weeks after the Final Interview
This time period alone wouldn’t be enough to lose an acceptance of a job offer if you had maintained regular, informative communication with the candidate. “We do want to make you an job offer and we will do it the week of May 2. The delay is due to the hiring manager being out of the country for two weeks.” In fact, this regular, informative communication all through the interview process is essential to making your candidate ‘feel the love.’ Without that positive reinforcement, particularly in light of inevitable delays and cancellations, you lost your acceptance before you even made the job offer.
Emailing the Job Offer
Yes, send the formal job offer in writing via email but AFTER you have extended the offer in-person or over the phone. Remember you want your candidate to ‘feel the love.’ This is impossible to do through an email. If possible, having the hiring manager extend the job offer versus a human resources person is best. The hiring manager can address any questions about the position immediately keeping anything from festering. Financial or benefit details can be followed up with HR through the email document.
Lowballing Salary
Almost every job is posted with a salary range attached. If you don’t pick one, Indeed or other job boards will assign one for you. Even if you don’t post a salary range there is an internal one for the position. Choosing to make the job offer as low as possible in the range isn’t going to endear you to these very-informed candidates. Selecting the low end of the range they indicated they would take without a rationale for it, won’t make your job offer a success either.
Paying Based on Past Salary History
This is quickly becoming illegal, and if not illegal in your state, then candidates often label it unethical. Believe in your company’s ability to correctly value your positions and make your job offer in the midpoint of that range. Consistency and fairness are qualities good candidates seek in an organization.
Inflexible Response Deadline
One week is the standard typically used. If you can’t wait a week, maybe you have another candidate waiting as a back-up, at least give the candidate over a weekend. You want a well-considered, committed response, not a rush to judgement that may not hold up a few days later after the candidate has had time to mull it over.
Ignoring the All-In Value
Make sure your offer letter is comprehensive regarding all aspects of the job offer. This includes medical, dental, vision, 401K, stock grants or options, profit sharing, PTO, car, bonus, title, reporting relationships and relocation. Leaving any of this information vague and unclear comes across as a lack of interest in the candidate, or even just a lack of clarity in the company policies.
Have some hiring needs that can’t seem to be filled? Contact the recruiters at Smith Hanley Associates.
