Great Candidate identification is the foundation stone to a successful hire. Unfortunately, there is a lot more to the recruitment process beyond matching a CV to a Job Description. Cultural fit between a company and a candidate has long been accepted as critical but not obvious from a Resume. If you’re a hiring manager or HR department it does not stop there. The quality of your hiring process itself and the candidate experience during the process are also key factors in determining success. Once you have those nailed – it’s time to make a Candidate Offer.
At this advanced stage, we have eliminated various points in the recruitment process where things can go wrong, but it’s not job done yet.
In Indonesia we would estimate that about 70% of hiring processes go wrong at the Candidate Offer stage. In South East Asia in general, it’s nearer 50%.
There are various reasons for failing at the Candidate Offer, but today I’m focusing on one of the most common – when a company chooses Not to make the Right Offer from the Get Go.
Candidate Offer “Don’ts”
Many companies lose out on hires by viewing an initial offer as the starting point for a negotiation. They approach candidate offers as they do vendors and other commercial arrangements with 3rd party businesses.
Unfortunately, candidates in comfortable positions don’t always see things the same way. Candidates don’t approach the offer as a business, they do so as a human mindful of their career and their view of self-worth. In this frame of mind the need to then negotiate and justify a fair and reasonable salary can be off-putting.
On countless occasions we have seen a 1st offer that is equal to or less than the candidates current income.
If you were in the candidates position would you accept? It doesn’t exactly shout “come join us, we see you as a high-value team member”.
Candidate Offer “Dos”
Companies that execute most successfully at the offer stage in Indonesia are Bold.
First, they see the Initial Offer as part of the overall candidate experience with their business – and they’re right.
Second, it’s a chance to capitalise on the momentum of a well-managed interview process and successfully close things down fast. They view the Initial Offer as a statement of intent.
A bold 1st Offer acknowledges that the candidate is stepping into the unknown. It’s a primal message of “believe in us because we believe in you”.
We have one chance to make a good first impression at the Candidate Offer stage and not doing so, choosing to go in low and “negotiate up”, can mean losing out on top talent.
It has been a long process to get to this final stage. Our advice – cut the theatre from the offer process and be bold. Don’t create unnecessary obstacles by aiming low as a “1st offer” and then lose a strong candidate… when a final offer was actually agreeable from the very start.
It is much better to enter strong and fair, say “this is what we can do, we’ve put our best foot forward”, versus aiming low, leaving the candidate demotivated and highly likely to walk away.
Also check this Article which provides our recommendations on how to secure senior talent in Indonesia.
If you’re a potential Client or Candidate that would like advice at the offer stage – please connect with me on LinkedIn. Alternatively, contact us by phone or email at ProCapita Indonesia.
