How to Build and Present a Compelling Job Offer

When it comes to HR, finance and accounting recruitment, finding the right candidate is often half the battle. Once you’ve interviewed an excellent candidate, you’ll need to act fast to turn them into an employee. The key is to make a thoughtful and attractive job offer – something which requires a little groundwork.

Well-prepared job offers are important because they increase the likelihood that your favourite candidates will accept the role. Successful job offers are the happy outcome of an efficient recruitment process. That’s why the rate of accepted job offers is a key metric of a recruitment or talent acquisition team.

In this guide, we cover the key steps to making a job offer that will get your top candidate signing on the dotted line.

Background Preparation for Job Offers

Before making a job offer, it’s helpful to create a checklist of what should go into it. Salary is one aspect, but this is more of a starting point than the be-all and end-all. To make job offers attractive, we recommend highlighting the perks and benefits of the role as part of the overall package. These could include:

Pension plans (especially if you’re able to offer more than the UK statutory requirement)

Bonuses or incentives (performance-based bonuses or shares)

Healthcare and dental benefits (insurance plans, or access to discounted services)

Car/travel allowance

Flexible working arrangements (hybrid working, flexible start and end times, compressed work weeks, or job sharing)

Options to buy additional leave or sell accrued holiday leave

Employee assistance programmes

Learning & development resources (support for tuition or training fees, or access to educational material)

Ultimately, an attractive job offer highlights your company’s culture and values, and the growth opportunities available to the candidate.

Gather Details During the Job Interview

The key to a candidate accepting your job offer is meeting their expectations and priorities. Uncovering these details is relatively straightforward and the job interview is the ideal arena for this. Asking them what they’re looking for in a new role will give you those vital clues. Once you have determined the candidate’s expectations, you can then highlight the aspects of the job offer that will appeal to them most.

Avoiding Misalignment and Disappointment

Understanding expectations rests on good communication between the candidate, interviewer and hiring manager. Recruiters play a key role in negotiating job offers, as they mediate between an organisation and the candidate to ensure each party is on the same page about the job offer.

At CMA Recruitment Group, we use rigorous screening and clear communication throughout the hiring process to ensure job offers meet both the candidate’s expectations and the employer’s requirements.

To assist hiring managers with negotiating ideal salary ranges and benefits options for job offers, we use research and analysis of the HR, accounting and finance recruitment market. This process involves salary benchmarking and competitor analysis to help you make informed decisions, reducing the risk of last-minute surprises.

(For more information on how we work with employers, read our briefing guide here.)

Personalise the Job Offer

Where possible, aim to personalise the job offer by highlighting the aspects that matter most to the candidate. For example, if flexible working is important to the candidate, make it a focal point in the offer conversation. If they’re keen on professional development, highlight the relevant training programmes or career progression opportunities your organisation offers. Small personal touches can make a big difference in how an offer is received.

When communicating with the candidate about the job offer, also be clear about what made them stand out in the interview. Why do you think they’ll make a great fit for the company? Candidates interested in the role will appreciate being assured they’re making the right decision to join your organisation.

Act Quickly to Seal the Deal

Time is of the essence in job offers. Any noticeable delay between a verbal and written offer can allow doubts to creep in for your candidate or have them wondering that something has gone wrong.

For the types of roles that are especially difficult to recruit for (i.e. those with highly specialised skills and senior positions), it’s wise to assume your candidate may be entertaining more than one job offer. Acting too slowly to make them a job offer leaves room for a competing offer to come in, or a potential counteroffer from their existing employer, either of which can undo all your hard work!

Avoid these risks by moving decisively. Once a candidate verbally accepts an offer, follow up quickly with a written confirmation to reinforce their decision.

Remember to confirm the candidate’s notice period and availability as early in the recruitment process as possible. This is a proactive way to manage the logistics of a job offer and keep everyone on track.

Have a Backup Plan

Despite your best efforts, not all job offers will be accepted. Having a contingency plan in place can minimise the hassles of a rejected job offer.

This might include maintaining a shortlist of strong candidates from the interview process, which an HR, finance and accounting recruitment specialist can support you with. With the help of a recruiter, having a shortlist allows you to revisit the talent pool quickly for new candidates when a job offer doesn’t go to plan.

With our broad and pre-vetted network of HR, accounting and finance professionals, we can assist you with developing a shortlist of high-quality candidates to choose from.

Talk to UK Specialists in HR, Finance and Accounting Recruitment

A well-structured and thoughtful job offer increases the chances of securing top talent. Managing the process step-by-step will give you the best outcome.

At CMA Recruitment Group, we specialise in helping businesses secure the right talent in finance, accounting and HR roles. If you need expert guidance in developing quality job offers, managing candidate expectations, or developing an effective hiring strategy, get in touch with us today. Let’s ensure your next job offer is a successful one.