I’m not a chief economist with a federal government regulatory agency, but something is always changing in the economy. A hiring company loses best candidates by hesitation. Since the first of the year, the change we’re seeing is an increase in multiple offers. We’ve now had 3 candidates receive multiple job offers since January 1.
As a hiring manager or company looking to fill a position, what does this mean? To answer this question, let’s look at this carefully, from a business operations perspective:
- Current staff has carried the work load until demand for a new hire was great enough.
- You wrote a job description defining the knowledge, skills and experience required.
- You justified the requisition to Finance to budget for hiring a new employee.
- HR has contracted with a recruiter to invest time to source qualified candidates.
- You have invested your and your team’s time to interview candidates.
- You have found one or more candidates that can perform the job.
- You are ready to hire and fill the position!
Why hesitate? After investing this time to find a candidate that “can perform the job.” You now need that job activity performed. Hesitation only risks losing the candidate to another employer, perhaps a competitor. And, ultimately, risks a delay in completing the long invested task of hiring.
Our advice at Barton Professional Placement Group is to always be ready to hire the candidate. Have your job offer ready to make, while the candidate is on your site. Close the deal and move forward.
Notice I didn’t focus on past or historical experience, skills, or knowledge. Managers in westernized economies regularly get hung up by a checklist of pre-determined experience, skills or knowledge – that makes up a job description. There is some value to this, but in the end, you want a candidate that has interest and willingness to perform the job.
When you interview a candidate, and find one that can perform, and is willing to start now, close the deal and make the offer. Get on with the business of business!
We hear clients tell us all the time, “If only I had hired that first candidate!” Improve your process; it’s better than regret. Have your job offer letter ready the day the candidate shows up for an interview. Better yet, add job offer letter development to the task of job requisitioning – up front and early. Be ready to offer the candidate the job when they complete the interview process that day.
One thing about economics is that declining economies always end; they are replaced by growth economies.
To be sure you take advantage of economic shifts, hire people to perform the jobs you need done in your business aggressively and competitively. Delays in making job offers to qualified candidates that want to work for you ensures your company’s competitive disadvantage to other companies that hire the best candidates before you do.
Call us at Barton Professional Placement Group to learn more about “performance-based hiring” and how you can shift your organization toward a competitive advantage as the economy shifts.
