“The Power of Reaching Out”

Never underestimate the power of communication between a candidate and his/her future boss.  There often comes a time in the negotiation process when we as recruiters need to step out of the way and let magic happen.  I would hope that we are all in the common practice of having candidates follow-up directly with their new employer to confirm acceptance of an offer that we have extended on behalf of our client.  The latter is a simple courtesy whereby a candidate calls to thank his/her new boss for the offer they have received and for the faith they have shown in the candidate. 

Then there are times when we extend offers that are not immediately accepted.  It happens to the best of us.  In a case like this, a simple follow-up call from the hiring manager to the candidate can help keep the romance alive. More importantly, it is a forum whereby any issues that are delaying the candidate’s acceptance can be addressed and resolved.

For example:  I recently had a situation where my candidate went from being 100% in love with the client and the opportunity, to practically talking herself out of the job after receiving a good offer.  As it turns out, she was admittedly the recipient of some negative 3rd hand information, and bad advice in general. This resulted in making the candidate “conflicted and confused” about accepting my client’s offer versus another company’s offer that was on the table.  It was a classic case of “fear” (false expectations appearing real).  What’s the solution?  I had the client reach out to the candidate to discuss the newly surfaced “issues” head-on.  The result was a candidate who felt great relief after talking things through with her future boss, and an acceptance of the offer that same day.

Another example is that of a candidate who gave a verbal acceptance of an offer I extended on behalf of my client.  He even confirmed his acceptance by reaching out and calling his new boss, as I suggested.  However, when he received the written offer, panic set in.  The company has a policy of including the job summary in the written offer letter.  The summary was actually more comprehensive than any written job description that had been previously shared with the candidate, causing him to second guess his decision and wonder if he was being set up for failure.  The remedy was for me to direct the candidate to reach out to new boss and get clarity and comfort directly from him.  After all, there is no better time than the present for a person to get in the habit of open and direct communication with his/her new boss.  The result was a message from the candidate stating that he had talked with his new boss.  In the message he stated, “We worked through the issues to my satisfaction and everything is fine.”  I then took my own advice and reached out to both the candidate and client to confirm!

About This Top Recruiter:
Christine Alan has been with Kaye/Bassman since 1989. In those 18+ years Christine has not only billed millions of dollars and been named a Managing Partner but has also had a profoundly positive impact in developing many others, as well as, the overall face of Kaye/Bassman.  In 2006, she billed $420,000 as a solo producer and is currently pacing to do the same this year all while battling and beating breast cancer and raising her son and daughter. She recently returned from a several week trek to the base camp of Mount Everest.