How to handle counter offers with your candidates

In today’s recruitment market, with currently over a million jobs being advertised every week in the UK, competition for skills is rife. It’s a double whammy: there are more jobs, so more demand for candidates, whilst those in permanent roles are more cautious about changing jobs.

With the economy starting to bounce back employers are reluctant to let good employees go, so counter offers are on the rise in an attempt to prevent them walking out of the door.

There are, however, strategies you can adopt to help minimise the chance of your candidate accepting a counter offer and staying put.

Posted 09/01/2023

Talk about counter offers from the start

As the old adage goes, prevention is better than cure. 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. You can then start to determine how to approach the situation if and when it arises.

Identifying the emotional drivers

Part of being a good recruiter is understanding 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.

Keep checking in

Open and honest communication is crucial to help navigate counter offer conversations. Knowing how your candidate feels at each stage of the interview process will inform you of their mindset and what forces are at play.

Many candidates themselves will not have experienced a counter offer and are likely to be unsure how to handle the situation. You may need to help them navigate through the offer stage, talking through how their line manager is likely to react when they hand their notice in. In this way you help them prepare for difficult conversations and to plan for their response. If your candidate is considering taking a counter offer discuss their options in an objective way to help their decision-making process.

Staying in touch till start date

If they accept the new role be sure to arrange some pre-employment onboarding meetings to minimise the risk of them pulling out ahead of the start date. A job move is a major life change and people can get cold feet.

By supporting them through their entire interview process in a professional way you will gain their respect. So even if they reject your role and decide to stay put, they may consider referring other good candidates to you.