I was recently catching up with a client and we were discussing, among other things, employment offer presentation and on-boarding. It reminded me of an article I put together for the AWI Newsbrief a couple years ago. Here it is…
I recently came across an article published by LinkedIn, albeit back in 2020, about the concept of internal customers and how it is often incorrectly applied in practice, despite the soundness of the original theory. The concept was first introduced in the 1950’s by Joseph M. Juran while working to help the Japanese improve their production processes. In a manufacturing setting, the idea is that work is a series of linked components, driven by a chain of upstream “internal customers,” that, when the principles of customer service are applied to it, results in an end product that meets the demands of the “external customer.” An appropriate example for our industry would be the assembly department as a customer of the machining department.
While it isn’t my intention to dive any deeper into the merits of this theory or how it may be correctly or incorrectly applied (nor is LinkedIn the first to look at it from a scholarly perspective), a recent series of events with a failed candidate placement had me thinking about this idea and how business owners and hiring managers present employment offers, and ultimately their company, to potential employees.
This particular case unfolded as it usually does: I was contacted by a company to help them fill a role (in this case an Engineer), we identified the target attributes and experience desired, reviewed the role’s responsibilities, and I began my search. It’s important to note, at this point, that this client is located in a rural area approximately one hour away from the nearest urban population center, a city of about one million. Furthermore, the role needed to be filled on site; it could not be performed remotely. Thankfully, in fairly short order, we were able to find a candidate that met all of our search criteria and was willing to make the hour-plus commute. Furthermore, he was young and eager to learn. For all intents and purposes, he was the perfect candidate. After quickly scheduling and completing an initial interview, an offer was presented, and the candidate, who had previously been immediately responsive to communication, went silent on us. Come to find out he had also been interviewing with another company for the same role, at the same pay rate, with almost exactly the same benefits. In the end, the candidate accepted the position with the other company. When I pressed him as to why he chose that company over my client, he stated very simply that it had to do with how the offers were presented. My client presented their offer in a formal offer letter, including a job description, both attached to an email that also spelled out some of the specific concerns in the body of said email. The offer the candidate received from the other company also included a formal offer letter, but it was accompanied by an official handbook along with a comprehensive explanation of the benefits associated with the role and a formalized on-boarding plan.
We all know that our pool of qualified employees has been shrinking, even prior to the pandemic. The “market” for talent is becoming more and more competitive and potential candidates/employees know this. They are emboldened to be more demanding and wait for that “perfect” offer. So, how are you presenting your company to potential new hires? Do you have a codified offer process that includes a formal offer letter, job description, company handbook, and explanation of benefits? What does this packet of information look like? Is it something that you are proud of, in the same way you are proud of the last project you completed? How has this information been communicated to the candidate throughout the interview and hiring process? Who in your company takes ownership of the hiring process? My point is simple: it seems that we need to be treating potential employees like potential customers by making our best first impression. Maybe, for you, this is as simple as collecting all the information you already present in an offer and putting it on company letterhead. Or maybe this means going as far as creating a formal document that outlines your on-boarding process for any given role. Bottom line, do everything you can to make your company stand out, in the same way you would to market yourself to a new customer. It will make a difference.