After going through the recruitment process and interviewing the shortlisted candidate you finally find the one! Ahhhhhh, it’s a great feeling. You know they have the right skills and experience and they are going to be a great addition to the team. So you make them an offer which they accept, everyone is happy and that’s where it ends. Or, is it? What happens from here will determine what impression your new employee gets of your business and will assist in keeping lines of communication open, and removing any potential blockers in the candidate setting foot in the door. After all, if they’re great their current employer will most likely think so too and will be cooking up ways to keep them.
Here are some tips that will help you post offer, pre-start:
Send out their offer letter and contract within a week of offer
Candidate like the security of having these to confidently hand in their notice and for clarification of the offer details. Don’t delay, or keep them until they start
Have they handed in their notice?
It’s a big deal for some, and can be a life changing decision. Give them a text or a call to see how they got on, it goes a long way.
Send an email welcoming them to the business / Send a card from the team
Depending on your culture it’s lovely to send your new recruit a welcome email or card, congratulating them on getting the job and saying how much you’re looking forward to working with them. You can personalise it from the team they will be working in too
Invite them in to the office to meet the team / staff social
If they’re serving a notice period, it’s good to keep them engaged in the team. Invite them in for a brew and a get to know you game. Or, even better if you’re off bowling, laser questing or another office outing then invite them along. It will help integrate them into the team and the business and make them feel less nervous when they start
Keep them updated on news in the business and keep in touch!
If anything changes, or there is any news in the business that you think would be good for them to know, drop in a call. This is really inclusive and makes them feel part of the team and business already. Also, keep in touch during their notice period – using the above suggestions, there are plenty of opportunities to keep in contact with your new employee.
If you’d like any advice on recruiting and retaining the best candidate for the job, give us a call 01143211873.