Hiring People_ Recruit and Keep the Brightest Stars - Kathy Shwiff [32]
When you have found a candidate who seems a good fit, someone with the skills and experience needed for the job who seems enthusiastic about the opportunity, make your best offer, reiterate all the benefits, and trust that the candidate will also feel that your company is the right choice.
MAKING THE OFFER
Once you’ve reached a hiring decision, make the offer as quickly as possible so that you don’t lose
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Outside the Box
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COMPANIES WITH A CONSCIENCE
If you work for a smaller company, and feel that you can’t compete with larger firms and their rich benefits packages, don’t sell yourself short when making an offer. Small firms have other, less visible advantages. Daniel Solomons, president of the recruiting firm Hyrian, points out that at many small companies employees have more opportunity to interact directly with those at the top and to have a significant impact on the company’s direction. Small companies may also be able to provide a casual atmosphere, flexible work schedules, telecommuting opportunities, and other policies that may not be available at large corporations.
Most surveys today reveal that employees want meaningful work, effective coworkers, and recognition for accomplishments on the job; young people are particularly motivated by a company’s environmental and community values. If your company stands out in any of these areas, showcase this information in your hiring process.
SOURCE: “Small Business Secrets to Hiring” by Karen E. Klein, BusinessWeek Online (August 14, 2006).
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your candidate to another employer. You can either make the offer over the phone or in person, but you might prefer a face-to-face meeting so that you can explain all aspects of the salary and benefits package and field any questions from your new hire.
Either way, after stating the title and salary being offered for the position, express your enthusiasm for the candidate and underscore your team’s positive response to him or her. Then review the key elements of the job and clarify any special considerations negotiated during the interview process—such as allowing flextime—and outline the benefits package. Then discuss a possible starting date. This is also the time to mention whether your offer is contingent on any conditions—the candidate passing a drug test, medical examination, or criminal records check; providing proof of citizenship or eligibility to work in the country; providing copies of current employment contracts showing post-employment restrictions that could relate to a new job; or completing a probationary period.
It is customary to follow your offer interview with a letter that puts all this information in writing. Also, make sure the letter covers how much notice you will give if the candidate is not successful at the end of the probationary period, if applicable. Most companies ask the candidate to sign the letter and return a copy to the hiring manager.
If the original letter contained pre-hire conditions, send another offer letter without the conditions after the employee has met them. If a candidate cannot meet the conditions, you are free to withdraw your offer—and you must do this in writing. If the employee starts work before the conditions have been met, make it clear that the offer may be withdrawn if the candidate fails to meet them—for example, if a background check shows that the candidate has lied about a criminal record.
If there is a probationary period and the employee has not developed the skills you expected or is not working out for some other reason, you can withdraw the offer at the end of that period, giving the employee the notice already specified in your offer letter. If no time was specified, give the employee the minimum period of notice accepted in your industry.
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“To get the most out of the people you manage, you must put them in the right spot at the right time.”
—Joe Torre, manager of the New York Yankees
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If a job candidate is reluctant to accept an offer, find out the reasons