It’s happened to all of us – you’ve found a great candidate, and you’re ready to make an offer, when you find out you’ll need to pause hiring for a few weeks, or longer. How do you keep your perfect hire engaged and interested?
#1: Timely & Honest Communication
As soon as you find you’ll need to delay hiring, let them know. A call is more personal, especially if they have gone through the entire interview process. Explain the situation, offering as much information as is appropriate.
#2: Offer Reassurance
Let them know that the holdup has nothing to do with their candidacy or with screening more applicants. If you have an updated hiring timeline, be clear about that. If you tell someone you’re having to delay hiring, most candidates will assume that you’re really just interviewing other people. If they are your top candidate, tell them that. Reconfirm your intent to make them an offer as soon as you’re able to, and it’s also a great idea to schedule regular “check-in” calls to help them stay connected to you.
#3: Stay Engaged
In order to keep a strong candidate on the line, you need to keep them feeling engaged in the process. Open communication is a great first step, but in order to maintain loyalty you want to them know when they can expect to hear from you with an update about where things stand. For example, if you need to wait for a new client’s contract to officially come through and that’s 4 weeks away, then let them know. Mark your calendar to give him an update after 2 weeks and then again after 4 (hopefully with an offer).
#4: Remind Candidates Why Your Company is Great
Keep your name in the front of your candidate’s mind by sharing relevant articles, internal newsletters, blogs, or other materials that show them you’re still serious about having them join your team. Differentiate yourself as someone who cares and shares information. Demonstrate that you’re doing your best to keep him engaged and updated. If your company is in the news or is recognized for the work you’re doing, share it.
#5: Respond Promptly
If you’re courting a great candidate and they leave you a message or send you an email, do your best to respond quickly. This sense of urgency helps keep people engaged and it sends a message that you are still serious about hiring and demonstrates your investment in them. On the other hand, if you sense their enthusiasm is fading or your touch base calls and emails are not promptly returned, that’s a strong indication that your candidate is losing interest.
The key to hiring and retaining great talent is to be able to continually demonstrate and remind people why you are a great choice as an employer. Once you’ve hooked a candidate on your company, you can maintain interest and commitment by being open about your process, setting reasonable expectations, and following up regularly. You’ll be delivering that offer letter in no time.
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