Swooping is Bad: closing the candidate with a competing offer

So you’ve made it to the finish line: you successfully identified and interviewed your dream candidate.  Congratulations!  You’re just about to ask for their address to send them a nice bottle (do they even drink wine?) and maybe you’ll get one yourself–this hire is going to change everything for the better.  Happy days!

But don’t pop the Krug just yet.  Even though you’ve managed to whittle your interview process down to four interviews, another company has swooped in (swooping is bad) and made an offer to your candidate.  Instead of accepting on the spot like you hoped (prayed!) they would–they’ve uttered those words that strike fear into the heart of every hiring manager: give me the weekend to think it through.

You feel somewhat powerless.  Of course, it’s reasonable that they take time to consider.  You’d do the same in their position.  But if only there was something you could do to show them what a great opportunity this is! …Should you send that Krug after all?  

Negotiation is all about the pictures in someone’s head

In Getting More, Jared Diamond’s book on negotiation (used as a basis for Google’s training on negotiating contracts), one of the driving principles is understanding the pictures in someone’s head.  Put another way, empathy.  

What does your candidate value?  Rarely is accepting a job offer a purely rational financial decision: there are invariably non-monetary factors involved.  Lifestyle, prestige of the company, “culture fit,” and the affinity the candidate may or may not feel for the team.  

And fundamentally, can the candidate “picture” themselves in this job?

Here’s where you come in, hiring manager.

Paint a picture

Not literally (unless that’s your bag).  It’s incumbent on hiring managers (not just recruiters) to give candidates a holistic picture of what working in this role would be like.  And the “sell” is highlighting how that aligns with the candidate’s stated values and goals.  

An obvious example is noting from an early conversation with the candidate that they’re excited by the company’s mission and how it aligns with their interest in social justice issues.  When you have that critical offer call with the candidate, don’t just refresh their memory: talk about the company’s volunteering days and how each employee has a platform to raise awareness for the issues of particular importance to them.  Even better, talk about an issue you personally believe in that you were able to support through the company’s program.

That brings us to another point…

Make it personal

This concept gives some people the heebie jeebies. Shouldn’t we keep things professional and objective?  Isn’t the warm and fuzzy stuff best left to HR/my recruiter?

That would be great if we lived on the planet Vulcan but here on Earth, many if not most people make decisions based on their affinity (or as some might call it, the mythical “culture fit”) and in our experience, that’s largely personality-driven.  

I can hear you scoffing.  But consider this scenario: 

you interview at two companies with roughly the same financial package, role, and level, and they’re even in the same industry–let’s say company A is offering you marginally more than company B.  

But the hiring manager at company A doesn’t seem as… plugged in.  You get no negatives from your conversations but no positives, either.  They seem like a capable manager but with no personal interest in you.  

But at company B, the hiring manager has already talked about your career trajectory, knows you’re into LARPing on the weekends (you still can’t believe you told her that, you were just having such a good chat it came out) and is visibly excited about making the offer–both at the prospect of you joining her team and also because she thinks this is a good career move for you, objectively.

So which role do you take?

Good managers invest in their people.  Candidates know this.  And you have an opportunity to show that through the interview process and when you’ve made the offer, too.  Take a personal interest, check in, and make it clear to the candidate they’re not just a butt in the seat.  When you offer the role–and we’re not advising you to make promises, mind you–talk about how you imagine their career developing and ask them again (as you did in your first conversation) how this role fits in with their overall career path.  

Take it one step further and talk about why you’ve accepted, what it’s been like working at the company–and be honest about the trade-offs (there always are some, and the candidate will respect and trust you if you’re up front).

Meet in person (if possible)

Ideally, you can make your offer in person–all the better if it’s in the office so they’ve got a chance to literally see themselves there.

You’ve heard the tired old saw about 90% of communication being nonverbal–again, the more information a candidate has the more confident they will be in making a decision and accepting your offer.  

It makes a candidate feel warm, special, and valued to be introduced to the team outside the pressure of an interview setting.  If that’s not possible, a friendly congratulatory email from individual team members can go a long way.

If you feel hesitant to make an offer to a candidate without meeting face to face, the same holds true in reverse: if at all possible, meet in person (even if just for a casual coffee after you’ve made an offer).

But what if you’re fully remote and/or it’s logistically not possible?  In that case, use speed to your advantage and make the offer smartly after the hiring decision has been made (this shouldn’t be more than 1-2 days after the candidate’s last interview).

And loop in your team: it’s common, for example, among recruitment teams to have a team lunch or coffee break when a candidate has been offered.  It makes a candidate feel warm, special, and valued to be introduced to the team outside the pressure of an interview setting.  If that’s not possible, a friendly congratulatory email from individual team members can go a long way.

Ask the hard questions

The caveat with this one is that some candidates might find this too confrontational or blunt (depending on the work culture and candidate’s personality–see why it’s crucial to understand the candidate?)  But if you are confident the candidate will respond well and you’ve built a good rapport, close the conversation with them by asking, “do you have any hesitations?  How are you weighing this offer compared to your other one?”  

Or if a softer approach is required, “I’m hesitant to ask this because I don’t want you to feel caught out but just so I can make sure we’re doing everything we can to bring you onboard–did I mention we really want you?!–is there anything that gives you pause?”  

You might be surprised to find your candidate is equally direct.  And this gives you an opportunity to address those concerns.  

For example, if they are worried about a time difference with the rest of the team and the effect on work life balance, you can specify exactly what their working hours would be and commit in advance to ensuring they don’t have meetings in the evenings.

Not only does that remove a barrier to them accepting, it also demonstrates that you value them and want them to join.  And really, all of the above strategies boil down to that: people want to go somewhere they and their work will be valued, for the long term.

In conclusion

In this competitive talent market where candidates are juggling multiple offers (often several), it’s easy to get caught up in a bidding war mentality.  By all means, make a competitive offer–but we have often found that candidates will walk away from a bit more cash for the job that excites them.  And it often comes down to who they’ll be working with and how they’re valued.