How to get your offers accepted when hiring

Recruiting a new team member costs time and money.

As well as your time to review applications and attend interviews, you've also got the opportunity cost of having a role vacant and either having to cope with an increased workload yourself or turning away work due to lack of ability to deliver.

There are a few things companies do that really help lead to successful outcomes and offers accepted.

Afterall, we shouldn't be judging our metrics on the amount of resumes we've received or interviews we've conducted if they aren't leading to offers converted and hiring the right fit for our business.

Someone who fits, delivers and stays for the long term in the business is our aim here.

Here's five ways companies are improving the employee experience and therefore improving their chances of converting a passive job seeker into a new hire into the business.

1- They have a clear plan for the role.

This is especially important in leadership roles. What is the pathway for this position? Can you articulate the companies financial goals and performance clearly? Understanding the day to day detail of the role may seem like minor details to you but for a person changing roles understanding this is key to making what is quite a big move for their career.

2- The person hiring knows the selling points for the company and the position.

Do you know why someone would want to work in your company? What's great about this role? Taking some time to articulate that in the interview pays dividends because then the person leaves excited and engaged about what is possible in a new company and is more likely to want to get on board.

3- They make the person feel cared for as an individual.

This is where having a joke, sharing stories of weekend hobbies or kids sports over a cup of coffee really makes a difference. If they are going to be working with you day to day they want to know that you get along and they enjoy your company. We've even seen a company present to an Associate a personalised career plan before he joined the business and this level of care got him over the line in accepting the offer.

4- They provide clear timelines for feedback and stick to them.

There is a much higher success rate for offers within 48 hours. Markedly higher than any other offers and you know why? It demonstrates commitment and confidence. When you have an offer out before a competitor this tells the potential employee you know what you want and you will do what it takes to get them into your business. You are making them feel important.

5- They offer you what you are looking for- or have a plan to get you there.

Companies that listen to a persons salary expectations intently and compare for internal parity are more successful in hiring because nothing kills a deal more than a low ball offer or a role that doesn't fit someone's career aspirations. If the market has changed what we've seen companies do is put in a caveat in a contract to have some key deliverables and milestones achieved and then reviewing that persons salary who is coming into the business. This gives you time to assess your current staff and make sure you are in line with the marketplace and it gives your new employee confidence that they aren't losing out on a pay review in their current position to join your business.

Quality recruitment doesn't end at the interview and offer stage- in fact, this is where the key influencing and negotiations begin to ensure a successful outcome.

Making a few tweaks in the interview process can make a big difference when it comes to having offers accepted or weeks of interviews with a consistent counter-offer or offers declined outcome.