How to Create a Job Offer that Gets a YES!
Has this ever happened to you? After weeks of carefully recruiting, interviewing and narrowing down your selection of applicants, you hone in on one that really stands out. You’re excited because you know he or she will make the perfect addition to your veterinary team. You extend an offer and wait anxiously for their acceptance. Instead, you get a ‘Dear John,” letter informing you that they’ve decided to go with another offer. Or worse – you don’t hear anything back at all. And just like that, you’re back to the drawing board.
Frustrating as it may be, the fact is, there are more open positions than there are qualified individuals to fill them, which means your applicants have their pick of employers and positions. Like it or not, it’s an employee’s market and they’re in the driver’s seat. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re just along for the ride, however. There are some strategies that you can employ that will improve your chances of being your top candidates’ employer of choice. Let’s take a look.
Conduct a wage review before you make the offer.
This step is especially important if you aren’t able to make an offer that may be as high financially as another practice. The good news is, today’s employees don’t necessarily consider salary as the only reason to accept a position, though it does play a factor.
The key is to make your offer more attractive in other ways, such as by offering perks and other intangible benefits. Showcasing your practice’s strong, positive culture can also be an effective persuasive tool when recruiting, but these things will only sway your candidates if you are clear about them right off the bat.
Be prepared to explain how you came up with the offer and demonstrate that you’ve done your homework and know what’s competitive, particularly in terms of each candidate’s experience and skills. The more you are able to “sell” your offer, the greater the likelihood of getting that ‘yes’ you’re hoping for.
Think “WIIFT” (what’s in it for them).
People accept job offers for a wide variety of reasons, and what entices one candidate might not even be a blip on the radar for another. If your offers are cookie-cutter in nature, you may end up missing out on the opportunity to hire the best person for the job.
To boost your chances, put yourself in the shoes of each person to whom you will be extending an offer. For example, an applicant with young children might strongly value a lot of paid time off with family while someone who is single may prefer an employer that offers the ability to pursue his or her continuing education goals.
As you move through the interview phase, make a point to learn what motivates each applicant and take note of those things. That way, should you decide to take things to the next step, you’ll be able to customize your offer to make it more personal and therefore attractive.
Stay in touch.
The last thing you want is to have a candidate ghost you after you’ve prepared a personalized offer, so be sure to extend the same courtesy by keeping in contact throughout the entire recruiting process. Don’t just show up weeks after an interview and expect your applicant of choice to be waiting in the wings. Instead, keep them engaged every step of the way. This will lessen the chances of another practice luring them away while they wait. Then, once you’ve sent your offer, follow up with an email outlining the reasons why your practice would be the best fit for the candidate.
To take things one step further, we recommend staying in touch even with candidates who didn’t accept your offer. After all, you never know how well things will work out with the clinic they chose. Set a reminder to follow up in 90 days just to touch base and let them know you’re still eager to have them join your team. It could be just the push they need to change directions.
Move quickly.
There’s a delicate balance between taking the time to find the best candidates for your team and taking so much time that you lose them in the process. Yes, you should be thorough in your recruitment practices, making sure the individuals you select are a good fit with your clinic culture. But being thorough shouldn’t mean making candidates feel as though they’re being strung along.
The best way to avoid this is to develop a set of standard practices that you can use to streamline the recruiting process. If you could use a little help in this area, here are a few tips to reduce your time to hire as well as some steps to help you shortlist candidates in a more efficient, effective manner. The more work you put into optimizing your hiring upfront, the better you’ll be able to swoop in, make the right offer and turn those top-notch applicants into loyal members of your veterinary team.
Don’t have the time or patience to go through these steps? We’ve got you covered. Contact us today to learn how Dream Team Elite can help you build the staff you’ve always wanted.
