Digital Recruitment: How to counter the counter offer

Within digital recruitment, there are many obstacles you can face throughout the hiring process. Which is the most dreaded one of all? The counter-offer of course!

So, you’ve shortlisted countless CVs, conducted interviews and whittled down the candidates to a small few. After much discussion, you pick the candidate you believe is right for your team. Happy days…or is it?

After offering the role, what happens if their current company counter-offers? While this may tell you they are a valued member of their current team, it could cause some issues with your hire. What if they were swayed by the counter offer? Today, we are going to share tips to help you avoid this conflict. These are steps you can take early on with your final candidates, to ensure you have all the information you need.

Beat that counter offer!

Some vacancies are urgent, so we understand this is not an ideal thing to happen. The first thing to do is step back, take a breath and then get to work on ensuring the candidate does not accept the counter offer.

Encourage them to reflect on their reasons for leaving

In the early stages of your recruitment process, you should have asked the candidate why they are looking to move on. They will have big career motivators, some of which might not have been met. Therefore, it’s your chance to show that these goals can absolutely be achieved in your team. Having an open discussion about these motivations is not unusual, so don’t feel like you can’t ask exactly what the candidate is looking for.

Have they raised their concerns?

This is a great way to determine if their current management can do anything to convince them to stay. Once you know their concerns and motivations, ask a simple question. “Have you raised this with management or HR?” If the answer is yes, it means not much has been done to fix it. If the answer is no, then there’s a chance management will address it when the employee resigns. Ask them how they would feel about their current role if their issues were addressed – it can save a lot of time in the long run.

Be open – discuss the possibility of a counter offer

In the final stages, your candidates will know they’re in the home stretch. It’s the perfect time for open discussions. Ask them how they would feel about a counter offer. Furthermore, it’s your chance to educate them on the risks. Loyalty is often called into question, while they could be giving up a great opportunity for something that so far hasn’t worked out 100%.

Consistently show your strengths as an employer

Throughout the process, listen carefully to your candidate. They might speak of an issue they have experienced or something they’re lacking. This is your chance to jump in and show them how you would address this for them. Ultimately, they are looking for a next step and career growth…show them they can get this from the very first conversation.

Looking for more Digital recruitment advice?

We are here to help! If there is a space to fill in your team, simply submit a vacancy to our team today and we will be in touch to help your digital recruitment process!