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Avoiding counter offers the employer perspective

Dated: 03 Jan, 2016

Avoiding counter offers

This article talks through how we would advise to best manage the recruitment process from start to finish trying to avoid a counter offer.

So you have gone through several rounds of recruitment and you have found what you believe to be the perfect candidate.  You make the offer, wait for the decision and you hear the news that the candidate that you made a job offer to has received a counter offer from their current employer.

A counter offer in one respect would indicate that you have chosen a good candidate who is valued by their current employer.

Ideally you need to avoid a counter offer completely so throughout the process try to give a welcoming feeling to your candidate, make them feel wanted from the start.Remember that they are interviewing you as well.

We would suggest 2 interviews where they meet different people and perhaps a tour of the site for the second interview making them feel part of your company already.

Throughout the process ask the candidate a few times why they are looking to leave.Try to dig deeper into this question as sometimes people have a tendency to provide standard answers.Ask the candidate what their current salary and benefits are and if there are any future pay rises pending as well as how far they travel and whether this is paid by their employer.

Ask the candidate what their company’s response will be if they were to hand their notice in.Ask them if they are likely to receive a counter offer and if so what would they do.Once again ask this a couple of times.We would suggest asking this at the first interview.

When you do make the offer, make this your best offer and don’t try to bag a bargain.When you are dealing with people you need to make them feel valued and wanted.By trying to bargain and barter, you can risk making the candidate feel deflated and can turn them off.

We would never suggest getting into a war over money.If a candidate has looked you in the eye and said ‘I will not accept a counter offer as I really want to leave’ then they have clearly gone against their word.We are dealing with people and sometimes people can become a little over confident when companies are arguing over them giving them an inflated perception of what they can offer you.

Once you have made the offer and it is accepted, send the contract out immediately and get it back as soon as possible.Don’t stop communication with the candidate; this is when communication should really start.Call the candidate to welcome them and maybe invite them in for a coffee or to meet the team, bringing them into the fold as quickly as possible.This is really important as sometimes people have a month to 6 month notice period with their current employers, which is a good amount of time for their current employers to work on them and try to convince them to stay.

Remember this is all psychology in terms of managing relationships.  You are the external person looking to take someone away. 

Sadly, there are occasions where people are actually out to receive counter offers and we are just pawns in the game.  However what these people do not realise is that they are burning bridges and ones that they may need in the future.  If that is the case, just walk away gracefully.

All in all we are dealing with people and we can never be totally sure of what the outcome will be.  However, what we can do is try to manage the process so that time, money and energy isn’t wasted whilst making sure that we do try to bring in great talent.