Why hospitality employers must move fast to secure top talent

It can be a tense time when you’ve found the right candidate, made the offer and haven’t heard back. Does your ideal hire want to work with your brand or are they considering numerous offers, with yours being just one of many?

If you’re a SME employer, you have a distinct advantage in this scenario; you can move fast to follow up after a successful interview and have the flexibility to manage any counter offers.

One of the main challenges to your offer being successful is your candidate’s current employer who will be faced with trying to replace their employee in a candidate-driven market. Inducements such as salary increases, better overall packages and promotion are all used to encourage existing employees to stay in their roles.

Top tips for managing a counter-offer

Discuss counter offers at interview

It’s a great strategy to discuss the possibility of counter-offers at interview – get it out in the open and see what your candidate’s response is. Ask them about why they want to leave their current hospitality employer and how they would respond if asked to stay. If the reply triggers any alarm bells, dig deeper and possibly reconsider other contenders.

Why is your candidate looking for another role?

If a candidate’s only motivation for changing jobs is a pay rise or promotion, their existing employer can easily provide this. You’re looking for someone who wants to work with your brand, values your culture and is a good fit, don’t be drawn into a bidding war because ultimately you may end up with a hire who has little brand loyalty and will move again for the right price.

Keep up the contact

You’ve made the offer; it’s been accepted, and you and your new hire are both excited about the future. Now is the time to stay in contact until they join you on their first day. By keeping in touch, you are keeping the communication and relationship building going and making them feel valued, even before they start.

Share your culture and your values

Whatever the reason for a candidate deciding to join your organisation, sometimes there can be moments of uncertainty before onboarding. Your role is to reassure and demonstrate the benefits that joining will bring. Your culture and values matter as much as salary and benefits, and it is worth reminding candidates of why they were job seeking and all the opportunities ahead.

People buy people

It’s a good idea to invite any successful candidates back after the offer has been made to meet your leadership team and co-workers. People buy people and this is an opportunity for your new hire to get a ‘feel’ for the people they will be interacting with day to day once they join your organisation.

Consider using a recruitment specialist

Recruitment consultants are skilled negotiators and will have successfully managed counter-offer situations in the past. A good recruiter will discuss the possibility of a counter-offer with a candidate and will highlight all the motivations behind the job search, reinforcing why they want to leave and the benefits of their move into a new role.

Know when to let go

Walking away from the perfect candidate can be a tough choice but recruitment is a two-way process. You are looking for the very best candidate for your role and your new recruit should be enthusiastic and excited about joining your organisation.

There’s more at stake here than an uplift in salary or a more attractive benefits package – you know what you can afford and becoming part of a bidding war was not part of your recruitment strategy. The opportunity should be enough to attract the right candidates, not the prospect of extra cash.

Every counter-offer situation is different, but the golden rule is to be open and honest about why you want a particular candidate and what their motivations are for changing roles. Communication is key and aligning culture and values, alongside an attractive salary and benefits package, are increasingly important to hospitality hires.