How to Make an Offer Your Top Candidate Won’t Turn Down

Job applicants know they have options. With many candidates currently in high demand, talent has the freedom to turn down opportunities that once would have been considered dream assignments.

Veteran talent acquisition leader John Vlastelica calls this one of the most competitive environments many recruiters have ever experienced, noting that he’s seen job acceptance rates at some organizations plunge from 90% a few years ago to 40% today.

To win employees over, recruiters must focus on “creating an experience versus filling the job,” says Jessica Adebayo, a recruiting manager at LinkedIn. Candidates not only want to know what a potential role would entail, they expect to feel valued starting from their first interaction with your organization. 

The authenticity and structure of that experience can make all the difference in whether a candidate accepts your offer in this cutthroat market, Jessica says. She offers nine tactics for creating an experience that helps recruiters seal the deal. 

1. Pick up the pace

In this market, you have to assume other companies are making a play for the candidates you are interested in. The longer it takes to make an offer, the more time another organization has to lure your top pick away. 

An interview process that drags on too long might also give the candidate the perception that your organization isn’t really interested in them. “Candidates are declining opportunities based on the interview process,” says Kirt Kreutzer, a recruiter with Cypress HCM. If it’s too long, “they won’t engage.”

When evaluating the length of the process, Jessica offers this rule of thumb: Allot a week for every person involved in the interview process, and add an additional week as a buffer. For example, if there are three decision makers, then ideal timing would be four weeks – one week per person and then an extra week for good measure.

2. Provide updates even when there’s no news 

Whether it’s a short decision process or a long one, candidates want to know what’s going on.

In fact, a Robert Half survey found that 62% of professionals said they lose interest if they don’t hear something from an employer within two weeks of the initial interview.

Provide a realistic sense of when you expect to make a decision, but don’t disappear into a black hole. Even if there is no update, let candidates know explicitly that that is the case. 

“A good best practice is to touch base with the candidate at least once a week,” Jessica says. An interview would be considered a touchpoint. Then follow that up with a weekly communication, which could be as simple as an email or text letting candidates know, for example, that the decision process is ongoing or that you expect to have a decision in the next week 

3. Showcase your organization’s diversity 

Professionals want to work for companies with a diverse workforce. In fact, 42% would turn down a job offer if the company didn’t have clear diversity goals, according to a Jobvite survey. Having women or members of groups that are historically underrepresented take part in the interview process also shows that your organization values diversity. 

When candidates see people like themselves representing the organization, it makes them believe they can advance in the organization too. “I have a team that I’m working with where, at the leadership level, it’s all women,” Jessica says. “Candidates have said, ‘I am so excited that it’s all women. I’m blown away.’”

4. Keep your pitch authentic

If you oversell a position, candidates may sense that an opportunity sounds too good to be true. “You don’t want a situation,” Jessica says, “where you sell them the dream and it’s nothing like what you promised.”

If there’s negative information to convey, be up front with that too. For example, if a candidate asks about high turnover, you might share how your organization has been impacted by the Great Reshuffle. Then follow that up with what your organization is doing to entice people to stay. 

5. Do a deep dive on the role

Since recruiters are often looking to fill a vast array of roles, it’s natural to lean on the job description when describing a role to potential candidates.

However, if you go beyond the job description and learn enough about a role to speak the lingo, you might give the candidate more confidence in what you have to say. Also, being able to articulate in depth about what they can expect — projects the person will work on, the team dynamics, what the culture of the team is like — and some of the tools they would be working with can go a long way with your top candidates. 

“It’s impressive and admirable,” Jessica says, “if you can communicate the role to that candidate in a way that they receive genuinely.”

6. Get into the candidate’s head

The more you know about a candidate, the better. When you speak with them, be able to highlight their background and experience to show that you took the time to read their resume or profile thoroughly, Jessica says. 

Then ask questions to gauge what is most important to them in a position. For example, you might ask, “When was the last time you felt motivated at work and what were you doing in that experience?” 

Once you have that insight, you know what elements of the role would be most enticing to the candidate. For example, if a candidate says they were happiest when working with data, when you make an offer, you can point out that data analytics is a major part of the role. Just shining a light on what would be most fulfilling to that candidate can make them more likely to choose the opportunity you are presenting.

7. Touch on compensation early

Nobody likes surprises when it comes to money. If you talk about compensation on the front end, you can test the waters to see if you and a candidate are on the same page. If you’re not, give the candidate the opportunity to take themselves out of contention for the role. 

“You have to have a really good pulse on the market and the candidate’s experience,” Jessica says, “to be able to share, ‘Hey, this is the salary range with your experience.’”

Once you do get to the offer stage, the salary should fall in the range you discussed, at a minimum. In a competitive market, if you can exceed expectations, that’s even better.

8. Provide different perspectives on culture 

A 2021 LinkedIn survey found that good work-life balance was the most important single thing to job seekers, followed by compensation and benefits. Candidates want the real scoop on what it’s like working for your organization day in and day out.

This is where it’s helpful to bring other team members into the process. “As recruiters,” Jessica says, “we don’t have all of the information into what the team dynamic is like.” Hiring managers can elaborate on the company culture, but so can peers with whom your top candidates would potentially work. Leverage those colleagues to give your candidates a window into a typical workday for the team.

Another option: Create a “day in the life” video featuring an employee in a similar role describing their experience.

9. Share positive feedback 

When it’s time to make an offer, Jessica starts with sharing positive feedback from the interview process. “I let the feedback and exciting news marinate,” she says, “so they’re like, ‘OK, they think I’m awesome, and I just got an offer.’ Then I start diving into the details.”

Jessica also recommends that other interviewers or leaders within the company reach out so the candidate feels like they are part of the team even before they accept the offer. A hiring manager might say, “I heard you received our good news. Let me know if you have any questions.” Jessica adds: “That builds community around the offer process.”

Final thoughts

While your organization’s reputation alone may have been enough to attract top candidates in the past, today’s candidates are considering other factors when considering their next career move.

By creating an experience that is engaging, respectful, and mindful of a candidate’s motivations, your organization can come out a winner in the Great Reshuffle. 

“The interview process,” Jessica says, “is one of the main differentiators between whether or not a candidate will accept in this competitive market.”

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