"The devil you know is better than the
devil
you
don't."
I don't know where I first heard that adage
(probably
the nuns.) I'm constantly amazed at how many people
live their professional
lives believing it. This, of course, is professional
suicide.
Various studies
have proved that employees who accept counter
offers are usually out of their
companies in six to twelve months. As one senior
human resource manager told
me, "They're usually at the top of the layoff list."
Why are candidates doing
this?
The FUD Factor
Thank you to my friend, Jack Derby (www.derby
management.com)
for coining this great phrase! In his latest
newsletter, "The Competitive Edge"
Jack says that tough economic times increase our
FUD ratio - that's Fear, Uncertainty
and Doubt. (You know - the Dow is up, the Dow is
down, we're bombing Iraq, we're
not bombing Iraq, another CEO in another scandal,
etc, etc, etc.)
That's why
good candidates, candidates who otherwise would be
at your doorstep two weeks
after you make the offer, are falling prey to the FUD
factor and accepting counter-offers.
So, what are some ways that you can allay those
fears and be reasonably sure
your #1 pick won't dump you the day before he's
supposed to show up?
Find Out What Motivates Your Potential
Employee
Look, there's a reason why your candidate
answered
the call of your recruiter or answered your posted
ad. If they are gainfully
employed, there's something that is
not
working for them. Find out what
that is in your interview process. I actually use that
phrase when I interview.
I ask, "Tell me, what's not happening for you at
your current company?"
And then, just sit back and listen. These are reasons
your candidate is looking.
Find that out!
This may be critical information if you are faced
with a counter offer. The reasons why someone
decides to leave a company don't
change if they take the counter offer. You may have
to make that argument to
them.
Put on Your Sales Hat
It's amazing how many companies don't sell their
opportunities and themselves
enough when they are recruiting. They don't stop to
assess just what a potentially
great opportunity they have, a talented group of
engineers they employ, in a
market space that is growing every year, etc. etc. I
think you get the picture.
If you are using a recruiter, that's what they should
be doing for you. But,
it's not anything you can't do yourself. List down
all of the "sizzlers"
about your company and your position-and then
make sure you incorporate those
into your interviews.
Make Your Offer Up Close and Personal
People like to be told that they are needed. And,
the best place to do that is with them in the room!
If you can, present
your offer in person. Before you do, tell the
candidate how excited you
are about the possibility of their coming to work;
reiterate your growth plans
for the candidate; remind them what a contribution
they can make to the organization.
Then present the offer and review any details with
them. Make sure all questions
about the offer are answered before the candidate
leaves.
Time Kills Deals
Time can kill your offer process as well. Remember,
always have an expiration date on your offer. We
recommend one week; but if
you have had a lengthy interview process and you are
fairly sure your candidate
will accept you can cut that down. An offer
presented on a Tuesday can have
a Friday expiration date.
Stay In Touch
The most critical time in the hiring process can
be the time between offer acceptance and start
date. During that time,
be sure to stay in close contact with your future
employee.
If you can, have them come to meet with people
they'll
be working for, take them to lunch; keep them in the
loop on important development
of the company. There's lots of strategies you can
employ to make sure you
don't get that "Dear John" phone call - be creative!
You can't change that your candidate gets a
counter offer - but
what you do during the interview process can
definitely affect whether they
accept it or not.
And, as far as being adventuresome is concerned,
it's
96 degrees outside as I write. I think I'll grab my
buddy and go get an ice
cream - maybe Swiss Chocolate Almond for a switch!
