Recruiting in a Candidate-Driven Market: How to Persuade Professionals to Accept Your Offer

After months of searching, going through countless resumes and conducting a great number of interviews, you’ve finally found the perfect candidate. In a healthy economy like we have now, that’s no small feat.

You know that this professional could add incredible value to your team, and you strongly feel that they’re a perfect fit for your organization.

But nothing is certain. Even if you want the candidate to join your team, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will. Great candidates often have options—and they’re looking because their current position isn’t fulfilling their career goals. That means that they may accept another offer or their current employer may step up and try to keep them.

Of course you want the perfect candidate to accept your offer, but you don’t want to oversell it. After you’ve gone through your recruiting process and have made the offer, let the opportunity speak for itself.

Here are some helpful hints on what to do to help the chips fall your way.

Promise Only What You Can Deliver

If you offer a candidate certain benefits and promotions that aren’t usually offered by your organization, the candidate may see a red flag. Special provisions are customary when recruiting top talent. Things like stock options, personal use of vehicles and healthcare coverage are not unusual. Put them in writing and make sure your organization will validate and support these provisions. Smart candidates ask questions about the nature of the benefits as well as about previous employees who have taken promotions as part of a career track plan. However, if you promise something you know you can’t deliver or you are not certain that you can deliver it, then you have a credibility problem and it’s just a matter of time before the market knows about it. It’s best not to promise anything you are not 100% certain you can deliver in the first place.

Explain How the Company’s Goals and the Candidate’s Goals Are Aligned

True professionals have long-term goals that they work toward with every opportunity they take. During the interview, make sure you ask them about their aspirations. Helping them connect their goals with the benefits of both the position and your company allow them to visualize how this opportunity can fit into their long-term career planning.

Be Aware of Your Company’s Reputation

Stay in tune with what people are saying about your company in the market—from news stories and social media to job board websites and your network. Be prepared to address any issues that have been published about your company that the candidates might ask. Be as honest as you would expect a candidate to be honest with you about any setbacks in their career. You should be able to discuss the issue—either specifically or generally—and provide an explanation of how the company has handled it and, even better, how the candidate may play a role in helping the organization move forward.

Stay Professional

A show of unprofessionalism at any point in the recruitment process can decrease the chances of the candidate accepting your offer. All of the professional aspects you expect in a candidate should be reflected in you:  polite language, tidy appearance, common courtesy, thorough preparation, and positive attitude.  For example, if you’re running late or there are people joining the interview at the last minute, communicate that as soon as possible to the candidate. (Most professionals should be prepared to deal with last-minute changes or unexpected events, so this is a great opportunity to see how they react in those situations.)

Are you looking for the ideal candidate to fill important executive positions at your company? Contact Brookwoods Group. We’re a top marketing recruitment agency in Houston, Texas, dedicated to providing excellent staffing, recruiting and management services to organizations such as yours.

Connect with us today!