The period of time between when the candidate accepts a job offer and them reaching the end of probation period is the most volatile stage of the recruitment process. It can be a tense time for everyone involved, which is why it’s also your chance to prove yourself a true professional!
The job of a first-rate recruiter doesn’t stop as soon as the candidate accepts the offer and the deal's in the bag. Great recruiters work hard at maintaining strong relationships with their clients well beyond a paid invoice, and a big part of this is offering support during the critical period between the candidate accepting the job offer and them becoming a fully-fledged employee.
Providing follow-up support to clients (and candidates, which indirectly contributes to the support you’re providing your clients) will give you real lasting credibility as a reliable recruiter.
So, how do you go about providing this kind of support to your client?
1. Manage the notice period
As soon as a job offer has been accepted by the candidate, you of course have the notice period to get through. Those few weeks between offer and start date can be tough for both recruiter and client as realistically, anything can happen!
With this in mind, Alan recently wrote a great blog with guidance on how you can support your candidate through their notice period to prevent drop offs and dreaded counter offers from happening – something that will definitely benefits the client too.
In a nutshell: don’t just pick up the phone the day before your candidate is due to start and pray they haven’t changed their mind. Do your bit to prevent any unpredictable behaviour by staying in touch with both candidate and client during the notice period.
Show the client that you’re doing what you can to ensure the placement is completed and aren’t just in it for quick win!
2. Play a role in the onboarding process
Keeping in touch with both candidate and client after start date as they get settled in is equally important too.
By scheduling in regular check-in calls for the first couple of months (once every two weeks, perhaps) you can keep tabs, make sure everyone’s happy and gather insights into any issues the candidate has been experiencing that they perhaps don’t feel so comfortable speaking to your client about.
You can then function as a middle man of sorts, subtly feeding this back to the client so the issues can be smoothed out.
3. Leverage the opportunity!
So, the client has paid, the candidate has lasted past probation and everyone is happy. Done and dusted? Not quite!
Any top-billing recruiter knows that the best opportunity for new business is when a good placement has been made. You’re already in close contact with the client, you’ve done a great job and demonstrated that you care about the long-term success of the placement and can deliver on your word. You’re in the good books, so take a snap at that low-hanging fruit!
Pick up the phone, thank your client for doing business with you and finally enquire about any future hires the company is planning. Even if this means booking in a call for a later date to discuss an opportunity that’s a bit further down the line, this is your opportunity to guarantee some repeat business. You’ve worked so hard to prove your credibility – you deserve this!
Download the eBook below for some great job offer management strategy guidance to ensure your candidates make it to placement stage and beyond!
