Follow these steps to ensure top engineering talent accept your offer.
Picture this:
- You spend time sourcing and screening the perfect candidate.
- They impress in every interview round and excite your team.
- Then, they turn down your offer.
All of that work for nothing. So, how do you close good engineering candidates?
To hire top talent in today’s market, it’s essential to run a candidate-friendly hiring process. A great hiring experience will lead to better candidates, and maximize the potential of a successful outcome for your company.
Here are 4 steps that you can take to facilitate a smooth offer process and avoid common pitfalls.
1) Keep the momentum and act fast
The speed of your (good) interview process is perceived as an indicator of your interest. If you are excited about a candidate, keep the momentum and positive energy going, especially in the final rounds.
By now, they’ve spent a good amount of time with your team and will want the light at the end of the tunnel. The longer you wait to extend an offer, the longer the candidate has to second guess your interest or accept another offer. The best practice is to make an offer within 24-48 hours of the final interview round.
If you need more time before extending an offer, let them know when they can expect to hear from you. Communicating this in advance makes them feel like a priority.
2) Get ahead of roadblocks
The more you can get ahead of roadblocks, the smoother your offer process will be. It’s important to build excitement while clearly communicating throughout the interview rounds. The last thing you want is for the candidate to be shocked by your offer and pass on a great opportunity.
If any of these situations happen, discuss the change and any implications they may have as soon as you can:
- You think that a candidate will be down-leveled. Ex: they applied/were submitted for a senior role, but your team feels that they are a better fit for a lower level.
- Based on a variety of factors, the candidate will be offered a role on a different team/ with a different manager than they interviewed with.
- Your expectations for their anticipated role title or compensation changed.
- Their expectations for title or compensation have changed.
Some changes and uncertainties are to be expected. For example, candidates understand that titles and responsibilities vary between companies. The role or engineering level that they applied for might shift based on factors such as interview performance and experience.
3) Lead with your best offer
There are a lot of nuances to consider when making an offer. In this competitive job market, if candidates feel undervalued, they are more likely to lose interest than negotiate. Starting with your best offer is key to having top talent accept your position.
It’s also common for candidates to start interviews with one range in mind and adjust upward as they receive offers for roles at a higher range. Make sure to check in on their compensation expectations before the final stages.
However, leading with your best offer doesn’t mean that candidates won’t try to negotiate for more. You should go into any offer conversation with a clear sense of where you can flex across base, bonus, and equity. This will remove the need to go back to a hiring manager for approval and help you close them faster.
4) Prepare all the logistics before the offer call
Offer calls are exciting but also packed with new information. No matter how your process works, there are key items that you need to cover.
This quick checklist will help you better prepare for an offer call:
- Job Title – Ensure titles are aligned in both your verbal and written offer.
- Team Match – Let them know who their manager and team will be. Set up an intro call so they have better insight into manager expectations and the culture of that specific team before accepting the offer.
- Compensation – Have the full details of the base salary and any equity or bonuses contributing to the total compensation on hand.
- Potential Start Date – Ask about the candidate’s ideal start timeline upfront. You’ll avoid any barriers like an equity vesting schedule, upcoming bonuses, or finishing a current sprint.
Once the offer has been presented, ensure that your candidate knows what the next steps are.
For example:
- Are there any contingencies to the offer?
- Do they need to provide references or complete background checks before receiving the written offer?
- Do they need to accept your verbal offer to receive the written offer?
- Is there a deadline for the offer decision?
After you’ve checked off these steps, send an email re-iterating the offer details. Be sure to include information on benefits like healthcare and vacation policies.
We hope that this guide will help your organization continue its growth and development. Remember, a great hiring process leads to better candidates!
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