There are numerous articles and blogs written on candidate experience and countless more on employee engagement; there is a time frame between the two that often gets overlooked. Some would argue that it is just an extension of candidate experience, but that blog title is much less attractive. I never used to give the time post offer, pre start date much thought, but my experience during my 2016 job change caused that to change. When I made the move from my previous employer to Bullhorn, I was not actively looking for a position and pretty happy where I was. The post offer acceptance process that I went through was engaging and helped grow for excitement for my new position during the transition. I know that the process was inevitably different since I am a recruiter being recruited by a Talent Acquisition team, but the principals translate throughout any organization's hiring process.

From a new hire’s perspective, the conversations that are had with an employer that you are leaving can be difficult, especially when there is an element of longevity and positive relationships. A follow up from the team or manager that you will be working with will keep the positive momentum moving forward.

In my situation, post offer acceptance I received a couple of emails from other recruiters on the team welcoming me to the organization. The SVP of my new organization contacted me to let me know that she was excited to have me aboard and to congratulate me; the timing even worked out that she was in St. Louis the week after I accepted the offer and took me out to lunch. All of this kept me excited about joining a new organization through a time when difficult conversations were being had with people that I had great relationships with. Here is an example of one of the emails that I received:

The practical application of this for most teams is a simple communication from the hiring manager and/or the members of the team that interviewed the candidate between offer acceptance and start date. Too often the process is for the hiring manager to interview the candidate and not talk to them again until the start date. Recruiters often handle the offer, negotiations, background checks, and whatever else is necessary at that time. The message does not have to be long or too intricate, just a simple acknowledgment of acceptance and excitement about the person joining the team is more than most companies do and can make the difference of a candidate becoming an employee.

The other situation that can benefit from a hiring manager reaching out post offer is when the candidate is choosing between multiple companies. It again is just quick and simple step, but having the team and/or leadership express continual interest and open up communication lines for direct questions can be the difference between the candidate joining your team or someone elses.

In today’s competitive recruitment landscape, doing everything you can to land top talent is integral. This simple step that only takes a few minutes will go a long way towards the engagement and enthusiasm of getting a new hire in the door.  

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