By Emily Henion, Senior Search Consultant at Hunter Crown
When kicking off a new search with a client, we spend a lot of time talking about what they’re looking for.
What experience does the person need? What does success look like? What is the compensation range? Who will be involved in the interview process?
But there’s another question worth asking early:
Is your offer letter ready?
It may seem like something that can wait until you have selected a candidate. In reality, having an offer letter prepared and approved should be one of the first steps in launching a search.
Why does it matter?
The time between a final interview and an official offer can be one of the most important parts of the hiring process.
When a company decides it wants to hire someone, momentum matters. A strong candidate may be interviewing with other organizations, considering a counteroffer, or simply evaluating whether making a career change is the right decision.
If it takes several days to create an offer letter, get compensation approved, confirm PTO, determine benefits language, or collect signatures, that momentum can disappear quickly.
And from the candidate’s perspective, delays can create questions:
Did something change? Are they reconsidering? How organized is this company? Should I keep pursuing my other opportunities?
None of those are questions you want your preferred candidate asking after a successful final interview.
Prepare before you need it
Having an offer letter ready doesn’t mean filling in a candidate’s name and salary before you have even interviewed anyone.
It means having the framework approved and ready to go.
Before the search gets underway, the company should already understand:
Who has authority to approve the offer
The approved compensation range
Bonus or commission structure, if applicable
PTO and benefits information
Any contingencies, such as background checks or drug screens
Who needs to sign the final offer
Then, when the hiring team says, “This is our person,” the remaining details can be finalized quickly.
Hiring preparation is part of recruiting
Companies understandably spend a lot of energy trying to attract the right candidates. But attracting them is only part of the process.
You also need to be prepared to hire them.
That is why, when beginning a new search, preparing the offer letter shouldn’t be viewed as something to worry about at the finish line. It should be part of getting to the starting line.
Because after weeks of sourcing, interviewing, and evaluating candidates, the last thing you want is to lose the person you chose because the paperwork wasn’t ready.