How to Offer a Job to an Applicant

11 of 11 in Series:
The Essentials of Hiring Employees

After you decide which job applicant you want to hire, you need to take care in how you offer the job to that person. If you don't make the actual job offer to the applicant carefully, you can lose the candidate or at least start the relationship off on a bumpy note:

• Don’t delay. After you make up your mind about a candidate, make the offer immediately, especially if you’re in a tight labor market. Remember, even a day or two delay can cost you the employee of choice.

  
  



• Put your offer on the table. Call the person you want to hire and give him or her all the details about pay, benefits, and anything extra. Most businesses make job offers verbally by phone and then follow up with an official letter.

  
  



• Set a deadline. Give candidates a reasonable amount of time to decide whether to accept the offer.

  
  

  What’s “reasonable” generally depends on the type of job. The time frame for an entry-level job may be a few days, but for a middle or senior-level candidate in a competitive market or for a position that involves relocation, a week isn’t excessive.

  
  



• Stay connected. While a candidate is considering an offer, stay in touch with him or her. You want to reinforce your excitement about the candidate potentially joining your team.

  
  



• Know how to negotiate salary. After receiving a candidate’s response to your offer, you must be prepared to negotiate. If the candidate suggests a higher figure than you’ve offered, you can choose to raise the amount of your proposal, wait for the candidate to respond or counteroffer, and ideally, arrive at an agreement that’s within the salary range you’ve set for the position.

  
  

  If you’re not able to match a candidate’s salary request, consider expanding other components of the package.

  
  



• Know when to draw the line. Try to identify the source of the applicant's hesitation and make reasonable accommodations. But don’t get so caught up in negotiations that you lose sight of what is appropriate for your business.

  
  



• Stay in touch. Even after a candidate accepts your offer and you agree on a starting date, keeping in touch with the new employee is still a good idea. Two to three weeks is the customary time between an acceptance and start date. Use the transition period to mail all informational brochures and employment forms.

  
  

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