In-demand professionals often have their choice of opportunities to consider when they are on the hunt for a new employment opportunity. In this competitive hiring market, what will it take to convince a candidate you want to recruit to accept your job offer? It’s a question hiring managers need to answer long before they even begin their search for a new employee.

The recruiting professionals at Robert Half have five recommendations for how to make your job offer stand apart from the competition, based on their extensive experience working with hiring managers and job seekers:

1. Set an appropriate salary range

Market conditions can change quickly, which means the salary you budgeted weeks ago may no longer be on the mark. A recruiter can help you set the appropriate range for the role you need to staff, taking into account your industry, geographical area, and the skills and experience you’re seeking in a candidate.

Plan to make your job offer at the top end of this range, right out of the starting gate. Top candidates will quickly dismiss job offers that aren’t competitive, and they are not likely to negotiate.

Check out Robert Half’s Salary Guide for more insight on the latest salary and employment trends.

2. Know the candidate’s motivations

Open up a dialogue in your initial discussion with a potential hire: Is this person engaged in other interviews, and if so, how far along are they in the process? What’s their target salary?

Find out what the candidate really wants from their next career move — for example, leadership development opportunities or a more flexible schedule. Gathering these details helps you quickly determine how best to meet a candidate’s expectations, so you can organize a compelling a job offer.

3. Be transparent about job offer details

Many firms take care to explain to candidates what the interview process will be like, but they are not always as clear about what to expect in a job offer. A point hiring managers often neglect? Details about benefits. Many wait to share details of health plans, time-off policies and perks until they formally extend a job offer.

That can be a mistake, however, as the specifics could impact the candidate’s overall perception of the job offer. If the firm’s benefits coverage is lackluster, for example, the candidate will likely reevaluate the value of the starting salary, causing delays and perhaps encouraging them to keep looking.

See this post for an overview of the benefits and perks that many leading employers are offering to secure and retain top talent.

4. Extend the job offer with enthusiasm

Demonstrate that you are genuinely excited to invite a candidate to join your team. Don’t be bland or nonchalant in your delivery. And don’t let email be the method of conveying the news that you’re making a job offer. Have a conversation first, by phone or video.

Our recruiters tell us one of the best parts of their job is delivering good news. They work with thousands of job candidates and hiring managers, and they know that a job offer will stand out to candidates if you are:

• Offering a great professional move.
• Stepping up to provide a standout salary for the role.
• Presenting an opportunity that will be a real career game-changer for the candidate, given the profile of the company and its leadership.

Again, how you present the job offer is critical, and it will likely make a difference as to whether or not the candidate decides to snap up that offer.

5. Set up new hires for success

Once a candidate has accepted a job offer and their start date is set, stay in close touch with them. The importance of this step can’t be emphasized enough. Other firms may still be reaching out to schedule interviews or make job offers to the individual you’ve just hired. Also, that person’s current organization may still be trying to make a case for them to stay.

So, check in with your new hire through brief phone or video calls. Send them a welcome package in the mail. And forward onboarding materials that will help them get started smoothly on day one — whether they will be working on-site or remotely.

Encourage others on the team to reach out with their congratulations. Making your new hire feel like an MVP from the start will give them added confidence that they made the right decision — and encourage them to decline any other opportunities.

Reach out to Robert Half before you plan your next hire to learn how our specialized recruiters can help make the process easier for you!