After a long, gruelling recruitment process to hire the best candidate, all you want to do is sit back and breathe a heavy sigh of relief. But, hold on a second, you still have more work to do. After all, the candidate is likely to have more than one offer on the table. Even if they don’t, they could change their minds for other reasons. So, how do you avoid losing them between offer acceptance and the start date?
To answer this question, and guide you toward recruitment success, below are Five strategies you can implement.
Five proven strategies
1. Make an enticing offer
Let’s face it, candidates know what they want – the question is can you offer it? In a post-COVID world, candidates, no more than ever, have a clear vision of the benefits they want. For some, this may be an exceptional salary package, for others, it may be the flexibility to choose between remote or hybrid work.
To avoid disappointment and candidate refusal, consider asking questions in the interview that will help you gauge what they are looking for. Once you have an idea, you can tailor an irresistible package that keeps you both happy.
Another important aspect of the offer is to ensure everyone is on board and you have all the approvals you need before you hit the ground running with the job advertisement, interviews, and making an offer. Candidates will move on and look for other jobs or accept another offer if your process takes too long. Hence, by getting all your approvals in place beforehand you can avoid significant delays and avoid losing the candidate.
2. Get the offer out quickly
Regardless of whether they have your competitors circling them, most candidates are likely to receive offers from other jobs they may have applied to. So, to avoid losing them to another organisation, you need to get the official paperwork out and signed as soon as possible.
Even if they don’t have other offers on the table, speeding up the process will help avoid the candidate from getting cold feet.
To avoid certain admin delays, at DukeMed, we use Vitay’s automated reference-checking software, so you can save time, hire better candidates and increase employee retention rates. Vitay’s mobile-friendly platform allows us to request references within 60 seconds and receive feedback within 24 hours. So, you no longer have to wait days to reference-check the perfect candidate.
3. Maintain ongoing open communication
Often hiring managers are guilty of dropping all communication once they receive a verbal acceptance. To avoid the pin-drop silence between acceptance (verbal or written) and onboarding it’s essential that you maintain frequent communication. Here are a few tips to get you started:
· Change your dialogue to be more inclusive to make them feel like they are already a part of the team.
· Send a message of congratulations.
· Assign a mentor from the team that will help prepare them for the first day.
4. Start the onboarding process immediately
Due to integration difficulties most new hires leave in less than two years.
So, while you’ve put all this effort into hiring the ideal candidate, take the time to integrate them into the team. You can begin by
· Sending them a welcome pack with further information on the company and its culture.
· Inviting them to an office tour.
· Inviting them to a meet and greet morning tea or lunch with the team.
· Remember, this is one of the most critical stages of your hiring process.
5. Strengthen your employer brand
Your first impression is your last impression. Hence, having and maintaining a positive employer brand image from day one through to acceptance and beyond is essential to keep the candidate hooked. The value you offer will remind the candidate of why they chose you over other organisations. Consider working on
· Your values and mission.
· Staff reviews.
· The benefits you offer.
· How you present yourself (websites and social media).
· Diversity and inclusion.
Hire better with DukeMed
Are you ready to hire better this year? If the answer is yes, contact us today.
We’ll find out just what makes you tick. What’s under the bonnet that drives you forward when you put your pedal to your business metal, that takes us to a whole new level. An understanding of your culture. Your focus. The type of employees you want.
So, when you need outstanding MedTech talent, we’ll roll up our sleeves and get to work, knowing whom you need, and when.
Once we find you the one, we’ll work with you to successfully welcome and onboard the new employee.