By Barbara Ling, RISE Seminars
For me, shopping is almost as enjoyable as a do-it-yourself appendectomy homekit. As delightful as dashing naked in the Iditarod. As profoundly pleasing as feeding Godzilla with a baby spoon. In other words, I hate it. No, "hate" is too mild a word. You know how all the designers for women's business suits seem to think the entire female population is 5'10", 105 pounds and less curvy than the Alps? It makes shopping heck. Really. Truly. Honestly.
Which, of course, reminds me of recruiting (I mean, what else would it evoke?). How many times have you poured your heart and soul into helping a candidate find a new job, only to see them seduced by a counteroffer? The end result is just like shopping around - they get excited by the possibilities, but when push comes to shove, that counter-offer presented by the current boss overshadows everything immediately.
Your time is valuable, and you don't want to waste it with candidates who will be easily swayed by this. So how do you deal with this? How can you determine that your candidates are ready to make the move? How do you handle counteroffers?
One thing to keep in mind is the boss's perception. Unless that boss is really really enlightened, chances are he or she will not say to your candidate, "Ah, a new position? Wonderful! You owe it to yourself to always look out for number one first! Here! Let's have this going-away party! And be sure to take this top-of-the-line PC with you as a parting gift!" Instead, thoughts will range from the simple "Eeek!" to "My gosh, my project!" to "Must keep at any expense until the next layoffs!" And they'll start pouring on the charm. The promises. The "We're a team! And why look! Several thousand dollars just freed up, and I'm giving it to you!"
But money is only a temporary fix. If candidates are really seeking a new position, it's often because of the environment as well. And because people create environments, that just can't be changed in a moment's notice.
There are some excellent essays about dealing with counteroffers. By all means, visit:You'll be glad you did. Remember, a candidate's first responsibility *is* to number one. It's your challenge to ensure all the facts are well presented. Take advantage of that.
-- Article courtesy of Barbara Ling. For more information, please go to RISE Seminars at http://www.riseway.com/ or The Internet Recruiting Edge at http://www.barbaraling.com/recruiting.html..
