How to attract, pitch and close great employees

You even did your homework on how to run a successful interview and created an interview checklist to ensure it runs smoothly.

The third applicant you interview blows you away. They’re smart; they fit all of the job criteria and their resume is absolutely textbook. They’re interested in your company and they’ve got some great ideas you know will take your company forward.

Only during the interview, you get the uneasy feeling they are interviewing you, rather than the other way around. Well, it’s probably true. A great candidate will already know they are a catch. The interview process is as much about them testing the water and finding out whether you are a viable employer as it is for you to find the perfect candidate.

So, if your interviewee really is interviewing you, is there anything you can do to ensure they will accept your job offer? Well, there are no guarantees, but it’s not impossible to make them an offer they can’t refuse. Here’s how:

Personalise your offer

You’ll need to process the information they are giving to you in the interview fast. An attractive job offer needs to be tuned to the priorities and aspirations of your applicant. In order to make your organisation as attractive as possible, you’ll need to know exactly what it is your candidate is looking for.

For example, you can talk about your family-friendly policies if you know your candidate has children. Perhaps you can offer flexible hours for such a candidate, or for any candidate talk about specific training and development on offer to enhance skills in an area your candidate is interested in.

Check out what salary they are expecting and expectations your interviewee has about the role. You can then use this information to formulate a job offer they are more likely to accept or be interested in. Don’t be afraid to ask if they have any other interviews lined up. It may give you more information about the kind of role they are looking for and a timeframe of when they will be able to give you an answer to a potential job offer.

List all of your perks

Be sure to make your prospective employee aware of all of your company perks, no matter how small they may seem. A simple lunch-time yoga class may not feel like much of a perk to you, but to someone else that could be a very important tick on the list of things they want from a good employer.

Selling your organisation to interviewees is all part of the process and perks are part of that. Do you have benefits such as dental care or eye tests? Do you offer more than the standard 20 days annual leave? What about pension contributions, gym membership, or relocation expenses? Do you have a policy on working from home or flexible start and finish times? These are all perks that may encourage potential employees to want to work with you. Your perks also start to build a picture of the kind of caring company you represent.

Sell opportunity

A great potential employee will want to know that there is a route and a plan for career progression. Be sure to sell your company at the interview stage. Talk up your personal development plans and cover any plans the business has for the future. For example, is your organisation expanding?

Show your interviewee how ambitious you are and explain how confident you are that there will be opportunities for growth and development within the business. You need to sell your mission, show how passionate you are about your company and how much you value all who work in it.

Make the offer as soon as possible

Don’t hang around waiting to make the job offer to your successful candidate. Anyone worthwhile will have plenty of other offers coming their way. As soon as you are ready to make the job offer, do it quickly. Start with a phone call. It’s better to speak in person because you will be able to gauge their response and it will give you the chance to address any concerns. Remind them of the package on offer, you want to convince your candidate to accept the offer, but don’t make promises you can’t keep.

During the conversation, ask directly if the individual has any reservations. You may be able to clear up any misunderstandings. Most important of all show enthusiasm in your candidate. Let them know what impressed you. Set a deadline for a decision and follow up your phone call with a formal confirmation.