Australasian Dentist Issue 93

CATEGORY 122 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST COLUMNISTS Pam McKean By Pam McKean, Director, AB Dental & Medical employment Agency A fter a lengthy recruitment process, you found the right candidate! But ... their current employer has made a counter offer at the eleventh hour. How can you make sure they accept your role? Obtaining verbal acceptance is always a good feeling but until the contract is signed there is no time to relax. We often get the call from a client that they have lost ‘the one’ under these circumstances. We know how they feel, in fact it’s an epidemic in the recruitment industry and one that has changed some basic recruitment practices in this current market. Pre-empting the unexpected is now a core skill in recruitment. In the era of hyperactive hiring, an unusually buoyant market, changing behaviour and skills shortages, the need to plan for andmange a possible counter-offer is standard, in fact it should be planned for at the initial interview. In most circumstance, whether it be their current or a new prospective employer, they will be offered either one, or a number of benefits, such as a higher salary, more senior job title, additional benefits or potentially more involvement in the business or decision-making process. Whatever the benefit, there are strategies to adopt to help minimise the chance of your candidate accepting a counter-offer. Attempting to defuse a counter-offer once it has happened is often too little too late. It should be expected, and prepared for at the first interview. Identifying the emotional drivers Part of being a good recruiter is to understand your candidate’s motivations for moving jobs. If increasing their salary is their sole motivation, there is a strong chance they will accept a counter-offer if it’s extended. Take the time to identify their emotional drivers, their life situation, as well as their career ambitions. This way at offer stage you will have a stronger chance of being able to discuss any counter-offer in light of their aspirations and remind them why they were not happy in their current role. You could ask for a list of the things they would like to change if they were the boss. Many of these responses could be around poor management, a toxic workplace, lack of growth prospects, lack of training or not being challenged or not reaching their full potential. Then, get your candidate to outline their goals and what their ‘ideal job’ looks like. For example, are they motivated by money, do they want to develop a particular skill, are they looking for flexible work arrangements, do they want career progression? By doing the above, it will be much easier for you to identify if they are right candidate for you. This will also lessen the chances of them accepting a counter-offer. List all the job perks on offer Sell the job by listing all the perks, especially those that correspond to their definition of their ideal job. Never underestimate the power of perks, especially in the post- pandemic world. The biggest perk is often a higher salary than the one they currently have, so avoid initial lowballing. Be honest about your best offer and be transparent about any future opportunities for financial growth, i.e. do you have a bonus or commission scheme? Are you in a position to offer them a salary review at the completion of probation period? For millennial workers, there are a range of new expectations around what their employers will offer them, such as flexibility, learning and development opportunities, and the chance to develop and nurture their out-of-work interests, such as maintaining a fitness regime. Many of these were previously nice-to-haves, yet now jobseekers see them as essentials. At the end of the day, candidates want to know what’s in it for them. Talk about counter-offers from the start This can be a difficult question, but it’s an important one to ask. Talking about the possibility of a counter-offer at the early stages of the recruitment process can help you gauge how susceptible your candidate will be staying with their existing employer. If you have an interest in the candidate, start the conversation about what they would do if presented with a counter-offer. Present some scenarios to them. What if they were offered an extra 5K or 10K to stay, or if they were offered more flexible working conditions? When you ask this question, document their response and retain it. When you make the job offer, refer to the reasons they said they would leave and provide clarity on how this role or environment is different and exciting. Build trust and eliminate fear For a candidate to feel confident moving forward with a role in your practice, it’s important to build trust. They don’t want to feel like another applicant on your list, instead they want to feel like you actually care about them and their future career progression. Listen to their concerns, you can build a genuine connection and help them arrive at the best decision for them. You may also find that they are not suitable for you. If a candidate has been employed with the one practice for a long time it could be a good to organise a meet and greet with the team or invite them to job shadow for a half or full paid day. This will allow them to build connections before they receive a formal offer, which may help them feel more confident about their decision. Don’t waste time If the candidate is a winner, it’s a good idea to move quickly on the interview and selection process. Furthermore, their current employer might get a whiff that they may be looking and could possibly make a counter-offer before you have even come up with the first offer. The secret to countering the counter- offer is to take the candidate to the resignation discussion, explore the likely response, and get them to turn the counter- offer down before they have even got one! Making an offer is a progression; a step- by-step process. Managed … by you! u Can you counter a counter-offer?