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Episode 21 – Part 3: Handling job offers and the onboarding process more effectively
51 Plays2 years ago
In this final part of the episode, we're discussing how to handle job offers and the onboarding process more effectively.
In Episode 21 we are speaking to Chris Litras, Director of Development and Construction and Deverell Smith recruitment.
Chris has over 12 years of experience in the recruitment industry across both transport, development and construction.
In part three, we discuss:
🤙 How to deliver your offer
📦 Creating an offer package
⏰ The impact of delays
💰 Handling salary negotiation effectively
🤝 Creating an effective candidate onboarding
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Transcript
The Art of Verbal Job Offers
00:00:00
Speaker
Cool, so I suppose for our final topic then, how do you get the best, I suppose, job offer process? You've had the interviews, you like someone, you want them to go ahead. How do you successfully go through the process of submitting an offer and negotiating it and then onboarding people in the right way? So there's obviously two parts, I think, to that question. But starting on the offer process, how do you do that well? How to do it well. Start with verbal.
00:00:29
Speaker
Verbal offer, appropriate offer to be delivered to the candidate so that they can mull it over a lot of the time that the first offer isn't the final offer. So there's always a bit of room for negotiation. There's really no need to put things down in writing if there's going to be a bit of back and forth. How to deliver that offer well? Well, don't just give them the figure. Give them the reasons why they've been offered the job.
00:00:58
Speaker
talk about their strengths, talk about what stood out, talk about, you know, where the client thinks that candidate is going to fit into the business and why they think they're going to be good and where they can progress and deliver the offer. And when I say offer, you know, it's the base, a reminder of the overall package, the earning potential, the benefits, you know, pension scheme, holiday, if there's private healthcare insurance, a company car or car allowance,
00:01:28
Speaker
Um, but then also talk about the upside and the progression. Don't just give them the offer, you know, have a conversation again.
Avoiding Complacency in Offers
00:01:36
Speaker
This is, this is your, this is your final opportunity to sell the business. Um, you know, complacency is something that drops deals out all the way through the process. And we've talked quite a lot today about, you know, in the interview or write in the job description and then the interviews, but it doesn't stop during office stage.
00:01:57
Speaker
You're still presenting yourself. You're still the window to that company. Yeah. And you don't want to get that wrong and have to go right back to the start of the process again. Exactly. Yeah. I think the candidate wants to know what the offer is, of course, but also to know that they've been heard. Yeah. And finally, you know, very swiftly follow up with the writing and follow up with a contract that, you know, a written offer won't always be the employment contract.
00:02:26
Speaker
The risk and offer may just be a follow up to the verbal offer with the top line. And then the contract is to follow. Again, as recruiters, a huge source of frustration for us is, you know, okay, we're going to make this candidate an offer. Fantastic. Great. Okay. When is the paperwork coming out? That can take weeks. Worst case. And, you know, in the current market, we're constantly trying to push our clients to be agile.
00:02:54
Speaker
because agility is key now in the talent short market. And you can lose candidates just by being too slow to get the contract out. That's the harsh reality of it.
Agility in Recruitment Process
00:03:07
Speaker
And that delay then, as you say, is the cost, I think you mentioned this at the beginning, is the cost of having to go back through the process again and then missing out on opportunities because you haven't got the person in place in time. It is precisely, yeah. I mentioned earlier, sometimes our clients recruit for a role
00:03:24
Speaker
without actually having it signed off. So, you know, a horror story for us is, well, we've taken a candle all the way through the process, and then it gets to offer stage, and the client actually hasn't got the role signed off. Therefore, they need a signature from an executive, and they say no. Yeah, that's painful for everyone. Really painful. Yeah, everybody loses there. So, you know, agility is key, sign-off is key, you know, doing it in a compliant way through the
00:03:55
Speaker
through the right channels but always demonstrating to that candidate, even at the office stage, what a great opportunity it can be for them.
Negotiation Tactics for Candidates
00:04:06
Speaker
And as a candidate, are there things that you can do
00:04:10
Speaker
to negotiate, if you're not quite happy with the offer that's been presented, are there ways that you can communicate that better to reach a middle ground? Because I suppose that could be the fear of you don't want to say the wrong thing. Talk yourself out of the job. Well, one, talk yourself out of it. And two, potentially, if you present it in the wrong way, yeah, put a sour taste in someone's mouth and then they get put off. Yeah, I suppose talk yourself out of it. Yeah, definitely.
00:04:37
Speaker
It's risk and reward, isn't it? If you want to negotiate your position and you want to do it firmly and remove emotion from the conversation, that's acceptable. There's a point, though, where if you go beyond that point, yes, you might leave a sour taste in someone's mouth or create an atmosphere when you join. And you don't want the client to question your morals and your values and your aspirations because
00:05:06
Speaker
you've tried to negotiate too strongly. And therefore you kind of lost sight of the reason why you're joining in the first place, which should never be about money. Money should be appropriate. It should be in line with your expectations, but shouldn't be the reason you're joining a company.
Beyond Compensation: Culture & Growth
00:05:21
Speaker
Because I think if that's the reason, well, it's really never going to pan out to, you know, retaining that candidate into the role. I think that's probably quite a simplistic approach that everyone would agree on also.
00:05:33
Speaker
Yeah, money, money keeps you engaged to a very certain level. And then after that, you know, if you're not happy with the working environment, the culture, everything else, then it's not going to work. Maslow's basic hierarchy of needs, isn't it? You need to pay someone fairly and appropriately for their work. And yes, they can be motivated by money. But actually, in the end, this, you know, self-realization and, you know, being a part of something great, that's going to take people to the next level.
00:06:03
Speaker
And then my final question then on this is the onboarding aspect. So are there things that people can do to have a much more effective onboarding process that sets the tone for a
Successful Onboarding Elements
00:06:14
Speaker
good working relationship with someone? Or are there things that people get wrong very often? How important is the branded pen and notebook when you turn up? Or is it about other aspects around it? Yeah, I mean, branded pens are always nice, but probably not the bill and end all.
00:06:34
Speaker
To be fair, I mean, I use Deverell Smith as an example. I joined six months ago and part of the reason I love it here was my induction and what does that look like? Lots of faces, lots of people, communication, structure, constant feedback, the right atmosphere, a welcoming environment, people going out of their way to talk to you. I think that probably the saddest thing about
00:07:02
Speaker
a person joining a business and it not working out as if they came away thinking that they felt, you know, excluded from the culture. You know, there may be a good culture at that business, but if the candidate didn't feel it, it's a missed opportunity. So I think, you know, having a really good structure around what that candidate is doing day one, week one, week three, week five, review,
00:07:27
Speaker
you know, three months in, six months in review, constant review and feedback provided it's constructive, of course, and setting some goals and some key outcomes rather than just focusing on the input as long as you can, you know, demonstrate that move towards the outcomes. I think that's quite a holistic view of a positive induction.
00:07:52
Speaker
And the little things, you know, well done on a small win and, you know, take the new starter out to lunch and introduce them to the team and making them, you know, feel that connectivity throughout the business are all really critical things. And that could be a small business or it could be a very large one. I think, you know, it's just as important to feel connectivity with your new employer.
00:08:13
Speaker
I think that's a very good point is the feedback and it's, um, if you, and yes, obviously you're making people feel welcome and introducing them, but the feedback aspect of you, if you, um, have no idea how you're getting on relative to what people might be expecting of you, you're, you're sat there in constant uncertainty and that doesn't make you feel comfortable. Um, until you get that well done or the, this is great, but actually this is the bit we need to work on. Um, you just sat there in limbo the whole time. Yeah, you might be in a really high pressure job. It might be a different job, but if you've got,
00:08:44
Speaker
you know, high touch, high care management team and peer network around you, then, you know, really you're going to be driving the right type of performance and output and productivity. Yeah. Um, you know, if, if it's not as high pressure and it's not as, not as stressful, that doesn't mean all of those things aren't really important. It's just something that needs to be done. And yeah, you know, a branded pen on top also helps and the perks and the benefits and
00:09:13
Speaker
company coach, you know, if you've got a yearly company retreat or something else like that, you know, those are all great things.
Perks vs. Structure in Onboarding
00:09:20
Speaker
But just like we talk about the benefits like perk box, you need to have everything else in order for someone's guy. Hey, great. We've got a perk box or we've got an annual retreat. Yeah. Those are the cherries on top. That's going to get you to the final hurdle, but we really need to get the structure right at the beginning, which is the feedback set and expectations connectivity.
00:09:43
Speaker
I think there's been a nice thing there actually through the different topics we've discussed, which is there's preparation, understanding every stage, what you want out of it, and then communication and being clear at all stages as to what to expect, what's going on, feedback on that.
Enhancing Recruitment Processes
00:10:00
Speaker
I think that ties nicely through the process. Is there anything else you'd like to add around the recruitment process before we finish up? I guess if there's any clients who are wanting some advice on their
00:10:12
Speaker
structure and process of recruiting, then our doors open. Feel free to get in contact. How do people get in touch if they do want to reach out to you? Well, you can email us, you can call us. If you come onto our website, there's easily accessible contact details, as well as breakdown of the sectors that we cover. We cover the entire life cycle of real estate, from investment all the way through to development, construction, new home sales,
00:10:41
Speaker
We do executive roles all the way down to contingent, junior to mid-level, back office functions, executive functions. We are really pointed at a wide space in the market and our client base consists of client side development firms, investment vehicles, also consultancy, practice advisory, major house builders, estate agency. I guess get in contact, have a look at our website and give us a call.
00:11:10
Speaker
Perfect. Lovely. Thanks for coming on and sharing your insight and hopefully we'll catch up again in a few months and look at sort of how the market's changed and have a discussion around that. Thanks Matt. Sounds good. Thanks for having me.