The art of a job offer - how to get the "enthusiastic yes"

How do you extend a job offer to a candidate?  This is not a rhetorical question - I really would like to know how companies think in the moments leading up to a job offer.  I know from direct recent experience that some companies think about it an awful lot, while others spend so little time on it that they usually find a way to mess something up.

I always tell my clients that the goal should be to receive the "enthusiastic yes" from a candidate when extending an offer.  Frankly, why else would you be extending the offer in the first place?  Desperation?  Lack of planning?  Poor execution?  Most times when I mention the idea of the "enthusiastic yes", clients think I am pushing for more money.  That is not even close to the heart of the matter.

Here are a few things that can help lead to the "enthusiastic yes" that I have learned over the years:

1)  Extend the offer in person.  Seem a little over the top?  Maybe even pushy like you're hoping to put pressure on and close the deal in person?  Absolutely not.  It screams a message loud and clear that you want to sit eyeball to eyeball with the candidate to express how excited you are for them to join the organization.  In these cases you don't even need to have an offer prepared in writing to send the right message.

2)  Talk about the tenure of others in your organization.  This can only happen, of course, if you have good, loyal employees that have been with the company for many years.  But if you don't already have that, you likely have problems that extend beyond your practices regarding job offers.  This should be hugely appealing to the right candidate because most people are looking to make long term career changes.

3)  It is the little things.  I'll never forget an offer I saw back in the day that had such an extensive list of perks that it included free boxes of Kleenex in the break room to take to your desk.  It may not seem exciting to most to have a few free tissues at work, but it sent the clear message that they cared about their employees and had some practices in place to show that love and appreciation.  Someone at some point in time must have requested that, and the idea stuck.

4)  Allow access to other employees during acceptance of offer.  This one may seem a little tricky, but when executed well this can be a powerful recruiting tool.  While the hiring manager or someone in Human Resources possess all the ability in the world to extend an offer well, knowing that your future colleagues will have an eye out for you even before you start can mean a lot.  It can create an instant bond that will lead to future productivity once the candidate starts.

I could probably list out another dozen or so ideas, but these ideas above are hopefully easy to execute and implement today.  I also hope to hear from you to find out what practices you use well that could be beneficial for others to know to secure that coveted "enthusiastic yes"!