The Effective Hiring Manager

22How to Offer

Now that we’ve finally found someone worthy of an offer, let’s follow a process and create an offer that they’ll accept. There are all kinds of chances for stumbling at the end, but be smart, do it well, and you’ll end up hiring the best candidates who have multiple offers.

Some managers don’t know that sometimes HR wants to be the one to make offers. HR is often evaluated on the numbers of offers they make and how many are accepted, as part of recruiting metrics. A lot of managers mistakenly turn over making offers to HR when they don’t have to.

Letting HR make your offer is the single biggest mistake managers make when offering. At this critical moment, it’s not a good idea to turn over to someone else the only step you have left. It makes no sense at all.

Never turn this job over to HR. If HR is making offers, it’s because someone before you made a mistake, and/or some lawyer thinks it’s better this way. Lawyers don’t run your company, managers do. HR doesn’t run your company, managers do. Don’t turn over the seminal step of how your company grows—improving its talent base—to a lawyer or HR.

And, we’re not against HR here. Many HR managers do this well, better than managers. But that doesn’t mean we managers can’t learn how.

Just think about turning over the act of making an offer, and then hearing from HR, “Well, he seemed interested enough. I can’t quite put my finger on why he declined your offer.” What if HR doesn’t know to leave a detailed offer message? ...