Ann Zaslow-Rethaber

Things change and sending out a query on a quarterly basis is always smart to gain additional suggestions, as well as reminding your employees that the company cares about their overall well-being and wants to provide the most enjoyable work environment possible.

Offering benefits above the standard package strongly positions companies well ahead of their competition. I find videos to be extremely effective in showcasing what makes a company unique, so would encourage companies to create short videos showing their benefits in action, such as catered lunches, perhaps a masseuse that comes in once a month, an on-site gym, etc. Over the years we have seen some very innovative things such as companies offering housecleaning services, weekly pool service, meal delivery for new parents or someone recovering from an illness, etc. It appears that the ROI is incredibly high when going above & beyond for employees, since it speaks to the culture of the organization when taking care of their employees.

This is one of my favorite subjects! I think the first step should always be to simply ASK your employees what types of benefits would most appeal to them. Send out a survey, asking everyone to share what would be most attractive to them. Depending on your team, that may range from bringing in a masseuse on 1 Friday a month, having lunch catered 1 day a week, offering an on-site gym, childcare, housecleaning services as incentives for top producers, food delivery, the list is long. By simply asking what they would value, you position yourself well ahead of the competition. Over the years we have seen some very creative ideas, which serve companies well in setting them apart from the competition when vying for top talent.

Counter-offers are more prevalent than ever before in todays war for top talent, so it is imperative to coach candidates from the very beginning on the dangers. After having a candidate accept an offer, we then provide a sample resignation letter and remind them of the very real dangers of counteroffers. The fact is that a whopping 82% of people who accept counter-offers are fired within 6 months because every time they go out to lunch or call in sick, suspicions are raised. While the company is caught flat-footed at the resignation, they will offer the moon in exchange for replacing the candidate on their terms. Resigning is a very stressful thing and it is important to offer a lot of support to ensure that it goes smoothly.

We do a full de-brief after every interview, asking candidates what their level of interest is, any concerns or hesitations, how the opportunity ranks against other opportunities that they are interviewing, and if they can see themselves in the role. By sharing this feedback with the hiring managers, it provides invaluable information that can then be acted upon to address any concerns, and when the interviewer knows a candidate's primary motivators and pain points, they can elaborate on the areas that they know will make the candidate's eyes light up. Because we do an intensive interview with a candidate prior to ever pitching a role, we can then circle back on those points when debriefing to highlight the strength of the match.

* Streamline the interview process as much as possible by removing non-essential steps. * Don't require candidates to complete lengthy application forms prior to exploring the potential match. * Don't have long time gaps between interviews. * Scheduling the next interview within 24 hours max after a successful meeting does wonders in keeping them engaged. * Ensuring that the entire process does not take more than 3 weeks is imperative in remaining competitive. * Sell the opportunity from the very first meeting while also vetting the candidate to verify that they are a strong match for your current needs. * Interviewing is a two-way street and companies that wait until the end to start to sell the role oftentimes lose out.