Plan the offer call

Use whenAn offer is going out and you want a yes on the call, not after a week of silence.

I am about to make an offer for [job title]. In interviews the candidate said these things matter most: [list]. The offer is [base, bonus, equity, benefits, start date, working pattern]. Risks I know about: [other processes, a likely counteroffer, relocation, notice period]. Give me: 1) the order to present the offer so it opens with what they care about most; 2) the three pushbacks I am most likely to hear, with an honest reply to each; 3) three questions that bring out another offer or a counteroffer early; 4) phrases and promises I should avoid. Use only the details I give you here. If something you need is missing, write [missing] and tell me what to add, rather than making it up.

Watch outPromise only what the hiring manager has approved in writing.

Prepare for a counteroffer

Use whenYour candidate tells you their current employer has asked them to stay.

My candidate for [job title] has been offered [details of the counteroffer] to stay. When we first spoke, their reasons for moving were: [list]. Help me plan a conversation that goes back to those reasons in their own words, asks what the counteroffer changes and what it leaves the same, is honest that more money does not fix the other reasons, and makes clear the choice is theirs. Give me five questions in the order I should ask them, and two things I must not say. Use only the details I give you here. If something you need is missing, write [missing] and tell me what to add, rather than making it up.

Watch outPressure backfires. If staying really is right for them, a clean exit keeps them as a future candidate or client.

Fill in an offer letter from a template

Use whenTerms are agreed and the letter needs to go out today.

Here is our approved offer letter template: [paste]. Here are the agreed terms: [title, start date, base pay, bonus, benefits, manager, location]. Fill in the letter and do not change any wording outside the square brackets. Then list any term I gave you that the template has no place for, and any bracket I have not given you a value for.

Watch outCompare every number in the letter with the approved terms before it is sent for signature.

Keep a new hire warm until day one

Use whenThey have signed, but a long notice period leaves weeks for second thoughts.

My candidate accepted a [job title] offer and starts on [date], which is [number] weeks away. Plan light touch points from now until day one, one every week or two, each with a real reason to get in touch (a note from the manager, the first week plan, meeting a teammate, equipment, a team event). For each, give the timing, who should send it and a message under 60 words. Include one check in that makes it easy for them to raise any doubts. Use only the details I give you here. If something you need is missing, write [missing] and tell me what to add, rather than making it up.