The Recruiter's Playbook: Episode 1 - Negotiating Job Offers
Negotiating job offers on behalf of your candidates can sometimes feel like navigating a minefield, but fear not, dear recruiters.. get your mine detector out and get over it, cos it's your job!
The Weekly Walkaway highlights negotiation in its ‘good’, ‘bad’ and sometimes ‘downright ugly’ forms. Issue No. 63 (15th February 2024).
This Week in your Weekly Walkaway
Conclusion of The Thought of the Week: Negotiating Job Offers
Tactic of The Week: The Flirt
Thought of the Week: The Recruiter's Playbook: Episode 1
Remember: You are a negotiator!
You are always managing some form of conflict, a difference of opinion or interest.
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Conclusion of The Thought of The Week
The Recruiter's Playbook: Negotiating Job Offers
Understand Who You Are Negotiating With and [maybe] Against
Acknowledge Constraints and Manage Expectations
Prepare for Tough Questions
Focus on Intent and Challenge any and all Assumptions
Consider the Whole Package
Negotiate Multiple Issues Simultaneously and Avoid Over-Negotiating
BATNA and Timing
Handle Ultimatums Gracefully, Maintain Perspective and Keep Engaged
Above ‘All’ Prioritise Overall Satisfaction: Your job is to serve them, not the other way round!
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Tactic of The Week: The Flirt
Sex Sells, Doesn’t it?
The Flirt involves using charm and charisma to influence the other party in a negotiation.
It is used to establish a personal connection with the other party, make them feel comfortable and to build trust.
It can create an emotional connection between the parties, which may cause the other party to let their guard down.
Flirting can take many forms, such as paying compliments, using humour, or using body language to convey interest.
The goal of "The Flirt" is to create a positive and relaxed atmosphere that makes the other party more open to your ideas and proposals.
Be warned! Using sexual attraction to influence the other party in negotiations can be highly ineffective if the other party is not receptive to such tactics. This leaves the tactic user exposed and open to exploitation or it could lead to a breakdown in negotiations and the business relationship.
It is important to use this tactic carefully. Some people get stuck in their ‘selling’ mode, mirroring and flirting, to build the initial relationship but are unable to flip into their ‘negotiation’ mode.
Flirting now can be seen as a sign of weakness or even desperation. Or the other party may feel that they are being insincere or manipulative.
Sex Sells! Sex Doesn’t Negotiate!
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
The Recruiter's Playbook: Episode 1 - Negotiating Job Offers
Negotiating job offers on behalf of your candidates can sometimes feel like navigating a minefield, but fear not, dear recruiters.. get your mine detector out and get over it, cos it's your job.
Armed with your wit and charm, guide your candidates through the negotiation process with finesse and without appearing greedy, because c’mon you lot, no one likes a greedy recruiter!
I can not emphasise the importance of your calm creativity and your courage enough in managing the conflict between yourself, your candidate, the hiring manager and their Human Resources during contract negotiations.
Conflict, in negotiation language, is just a matter of differing opinions and interests.
This week let's explore some of the options you recruiters have to manage this conflict.
Understand Who You Are Negotiating With and [maybe] Against: You’ll have to tailor your approach to each individual you're negotiating with, and maybe against.
Yes, as unfortunate as it is, just hoping your counterparts will be on The West of The Negotiation Compass (Open, Warm and Co-Operative) is just that, hope, and there is no such thing as hope in negotiation.
You might have to adopt an Eastern Approach as some point (Cold, Hard and Tough).
Whether it's HR or the CEO, your candidate or your life long client, adapting your negotiation approach depending on who you are negotiating with is one of the most important factors a recruiter has to take into account.
It is also important to remember you are negotiating with individuals, people, just like you, not a company. Those people will try to hide behind the power of that company’s brand, but they are just people. You are much more equal than you think.
Tailor your approach based on the person you're dealing with, address their specific concerns and interests. Hold your ground and be assertive;
Acknowledge Constraints and Manage Expectations: Just like trying to fit into last year's skinny jeans, sometimes there are constraints that simply can't be ignored.
Be aware of the limitations the hiring team faces and work together to find solutions. Be aware of salary caps, company policies and historical precedence.
Don’t over sell, manage everyone's expectations. Honesty is the best policy. But remember there are no rules in negotiation. Know the rules well so you know how to break them but most importantly understand where constraints can be flexible and where they cannot, allowing you to propose solutions that meet both your candidate's needs and theirs;
Prepare for Tough Questions: Think of tough questions like unexpected plot twists in a bad crime drama. Anticipate them, prepare for them, like a chess master and whatever you do, don't let them throw you off your game.
Anticipate challenging inquiries and plan responses accordingly. Keep the high ground. Help your candidate avoid being caught off guard or saying something that could weaken their position.
Encourage honesty throughout the negotiation process and practice responses that acknowledge any possible career mistakes with growth and development;
Focus on Intent and Challenge any and all Assumptions: Look beyond the surface of questions to understand the underlying motives.
Feel empowered to make assumptions and be equally empowered to be wrong; because even if you are wrong any information is knowledge and yup; knowledge is power.
Respond in a way that addresses all parties' concerns and always ask, ask, ask for clarification to ensure you're addressing their needs effectively;
Consider the Whole Package: Don't be like a magpie eyeing only the shiny pennies on the table.
Keep yours and all parties concerned focused on the total package. Encourage your candidate to evaluate the entire offer.
Assess factors like responsibilities, location, benefits, and opportunities for growth.
Sometimes, it's the extras that can make all the difference. Encourage your candidate not to fixate solely on salary but to evaluate the entire offer. Non-monetary perks can be just as valuable;
Negotiate Multiple Issues Simultaneously and Avoid Over-Negotiating: A total package deal needs to be negotiated together, nothing will be agreed until everything is agreed.
Encourage both parties to present all desired changes together, rather than in dribs and drabs.
Remember, negotiating a salary package is like eating a slice of cake; too much and it makes you feel sick.
Question them to get a feel for what is most important to each party.
Advise your candidate to negotiate for what matters most to them and avoid nitpicking over every detail.
Link the issues that are most important to each party and conditionally counter propose. “If you can increase flexi hours to ‘x’ and health to include my children then we can agree to the salary of ‘y’”.
This ensures an appropriate exchange of value, prevents haggling tactics and the ensures they don’t get the impression that accepting one adjustment means your candidate is ready to accept the offer;
BATNA and Timing: Your job is to get as many offers for your candidate as possible.
These offers will either be the best or the best alternative (BATNA).
With alternatives comes power, the power of choice. It is your job to give your candidate the best choice and your client the best candidate.
Timing is also everything! Power comes from controlling time..
The dance is to be mindful of when offers come in to manage the options effectively. Aim to have all offers arrive around the same time to enable the most informed and honest decisions.
You won't want to be blagging that your candidate has multiple offers when they don't. Adjust the negotiation pace with potential employers to align offers for comparison.
Handle Ultimatums Gracefully, Maintain Perspective and Keep Engaged: Ultimatums are like tantrum-throwing toddlers, they're best ignored.
Photo by Xavi Cabrera on Unsplash Stay calm, find common ground, and whatever you do, don't stoop to their level.
Guide your candidate to avoid issuing ultimatums and respond calmly if faced with one.
Encourage them to focus on finding common ground rather than escalating conflict.
Remember behaviour breeds behaviour; this is the law of reciprocity.
If you react to their inappropriate behaviour calmly you are more likely to create an appropriate mirrored response.
Keep calm and carry on!
Remember, delays and hesitations are just part of the game.
Stay patient and keep everyone engaged in the process. Keep the lines of communication open, revisit issues if needed and repackage any proposals to ensure both parties are being satisfied.
Remember your resilience and persistence will go a long way. Use your energy to keep the process moving.
Above ‘All’ Prioritise Overall Satisfaction: Your job is to serve them, not the other way round!
Encourage your candidate to prioritise finding the right fit over just chasing the biggest paycheck.
After all, life's too short to be stuck in a job they hate! Guide your candidate to consider long-term satisfaction and success.
Effective negotiation should complement a thoughtful job search strategy aimed at achieving their career goals.
Remember it's not about you.. You are the King or Queen maker. You are the fixer. Your job is to satisfy all parties involved.
Satisfying them will satisfy you but if you look to satisfy yourself first you will dissatisfy one or more of the other parties, and this is a recruiters biggest failure!
#NavigatingBetterNegotiatedOutcomes
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