Tips for proper communication with candidates after job offer

Marina Khomich and I decided to help Hiring Managers in communicating with candidates.

Read on to find a detailed guide on what to do and how to do it composed by Marina!

If you have already offered somebody a position at your company, then in order for them to accept it, make sure that the further process of your interaction is completely transparent for the candidate, i.e. it is important to notify them of the steps that will follow upon their agreement, and to specify the timeframe. During the final interview, don’t forget to discuss:

• The amount of time you need to make a final decision

• What factors play the biggest role in the evaluation

• “If you accept our offer, then…” e.g., “we will send you the details about related paperwork within this much time, and this is what you need to do(...).”

During the interview process:

• The interviewer should be not the most experienced team member but rather the most involved one. Ideally, of course, they should be both. :) It is vital to talk about the project with excitement and with enough details.

I understand that when you have been in the company for a long time, it is not always clear what could be considered its best features. So my advice is to tell a story about your team or about the project. Stories are your best bet because they are always more memorable. Here’s an example: talk about a recent problem you encountered. What were the variants for solving it, and which way did you choose to go with? Did it work?
The story could be fun or sad, but if it showcases your team, it will work!

Know what is important to a candidate in their job search. Make sure to discuss these aspects and clearly explain the way your company goes about them even if they don’t ask the questions themselves:

Functionality - what will the responsibilities be.
Show programmers and QAs some examples of your products and interfaces, their convenience for the user, or a "Before - After" example.
Build a picture of the planned project, its unique traits, curious elements, and how the work will be beneficial specifically for your candidate.
The Team. It's great to elaborate on the kind of guys you have working together, what they are cool at, their level of closeness, and connection quality. Also, talk about the corporate hierarchy: to whom the candidate will report, who is at the top, and who to approach with issues or concerns.
It is also an excellent time to talk about your corporate culture, the traditional ways, and the formality of interactions within a company.
Payment: the more details, the better: date, form, currency, bonuses, how are they counted, etc.
Don’t forget to discuss the overtime rates. If you don’t have such policies, there may have never been a need for them. But let’s be honest, how often does that happen?
Growth prospects - you simply have to touch on this topic because the candidate’s current employer wants to keep them and has probably already promised a bigger salary, a better office, and a trip to Hawaii.
Conditions: probation period, criteria one needs to meet for it to be over, performance evaluation, its frequency, who evaluates and how, social package. Ask the candidate what is the most important for them and tell them about your perks.
Discuss the schedule and the nuances of office visits.

What to do so that the candidate does not turn down the offer.

Offer to help them talk to their current employer, i.e., practice and act out this scene. Assist them in preparing answers to the questions the employer might ask.
Keep your communication alive and active, especially during the period from accepting the offer until the start of work. Be aware of what is going on with them: how negotiations are going in the company that the candidate is leaving, how the handover process is going.
Any kind of pre-boarding works:
1. Invite the candidate to internal events (corporate or trainings),
2. Share resources that would help them immerse themselves in the project.

When looking for a top specialist, you have to have some money reserved (an additional 20 to 40% on top of the initial offer). It is needed in order to outbid the counter-offer of the current employer. However, you need to understand that more money does not guarantee a successful deal closure — your position has to address and resolve the core problem a candidate has that motivated him to seek other employment in the first place. Bear in mind though, that this problem is not always precisely the one your candidate names on the interview.