First published in The Hardware Journal, December 2024.
In a competitive hiring market, a rejected offer wastes weeks of work and can hand your preferred candidate to a competitor. How you make the offer matters as much as what’s in it.
Do
- Move quickly. Once you’ve decided, make the offer. Good candidates usually have options.
- Make it personal. Repeat the positive feedback from interview and link the role to where they want their career to go.
- Show the whole package. Salary leads, but set out bonus, health cover, pension, flexibility and progression too. For roles with a lot of driving, give clear details on the car.
- Add a personal touch. Once terms are broadly agreed, a coffee to talk it through and welcome them to the team goes a long way.
Don’t
- Don’t offer less than they earn now. It rarely works. It sours the negotiation, and we’ve seen deals collapse even after the employer raised the offer.
- Don’t leave negotiation to chance. Know the candidate’s current salary and minimum expectations early.
- Don’t sideline your recruiter. Candidates tell us things they won’t tell a prospective employer. Use that.
Get the first offer right and negotiations stay short. The aim isn’t just a signature. It’s a new starter who is glad to be joining.
Read the full article in The Hardware Journal
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