4 Steps to Making A Job Offer They Can’t Refuse

Candidates tell us that while compensation is very important when evaluating a potential employer, it is fourth on their list of things they consider. You have a lot to offer any candidate. In addition to addressing compensation, remember to include what truly matters to each individual candidate, what we call ‘WIFM’ (What’s In It For Me?).

Always put the shoe on the other foot, and think about the opportunity in terms of what the candidate is looking for.  This is especially important now, when you have one last chance to sell the candidate on your total opportunity. When you are presenting your offer, be sure you present the total offer and do not just focus on salary. The Hiring Toolkit’s ‘Making a Total Opportunity Job Offer’ worksheet will help you craft a compelling offer based on the candidate’s specific priorities as well as personal and career goals in four steps:

STEP 1: Understand their top priorities and identify what you can offer to meet them.

Based on your interview with the candidate, what are the most important to them? If it is prestige, you can talk about your company’s growth, or prestigious projects or clients. If it is professional development they are seeking, discussing your company’s commitment to mentorship, training and education initiatives could be the clincher.

STEP 2: Find their key abilities and relate it with how they will succeed and be rewarded.

Make a list of the abilities that the candidate highlighted as their skills or strengths and show how these can be keys to their success with your company. If they speak passionately about their leadership skills, illustrate how this is something that they can bring to the table and be rewarded for. If they see themselves as a people person, speak about the opportunities for interaction and improving customer experience and how this is valuable to your company.

STEP 3: List the Total Opportunity – more than base salary, what other meaningful gains are in store for them?

You have a lot to offer and by listening closely to the candidate, you are now more in tune to what would capture their interest. It can be a friendlier commute, perks such as flex-time, or being a dog-friendly workplace – or even a career path that can tangibly measure and reward their professional growth? Each individual candidate is unique and what may seem unimportant to one may deeply resonate with another.

STEP 4: Have the Total Opportunity Conversation  

Once you have compiled the candidate’s priorities, their skills and how these will be key to their success, and other meaningful ways they can benefit from the opportunity you are offering, it’s time to make a compelling offer. Click here for a worksheet you can use to weave together a Total Opportunity Job Offer.