Hiring · Offer to Start Date
Getting the Offer Right, and Keeping Them Until Day One
Two things quietly decide most hiring outcomes after the ad closes: how the offer is managed, and how the candidate is kept engaged before they start.
Managing the offer
Stay tight and frequent. Silence is what candidates read as disinterest — it’s the single easiest thing to get right.
Ask directly whether they have other offers or conversations running. Most hiring teams skip this — it’s what tells you how much runway you have.
Move quickly once you’ve decided. A slow offer process is one of the most common ways a strong candidate quietly drifts away.
Get a second set of eyes on the offer before it goes out, if it would help. We’re happy to help.
The notice period: “the valley of death”
Anyone who applied to your ad likely applied to others too. The best protection is staying in genuine, regular contact between signing and day one — not just a check-in the week before they start.
Doesn’t need to be about work: team context, onboarding material early, or just checking in.
This is the stretch where accepted offers most often quietly fall over — treat it as an active phase to manage, not a waiting period.
If you’d like a hand with either stage on your current hire, get in touch.