Offer drop-offs happen when pay, title or joining date is a surprise at the end, or when you go quiet while another employer stays in touch. Talk about range and notice period in the first conversation, send a complete letter quickly, and give the candidate a named person to call until they join.
Surface deal-breakers in the first call
Ask the pay range they are considering, the contractual notice period, the city they will work from, and any other process they are in. You do not need their life story. You do need to know if an offer you can make would be a waste of the panel's time.
- Share your band if policy allows. Secrecy creates late declines.
- Ask what would make them decline, and write it down.
- Stop early when the notice period cannot work and you will not buy it out.
Send a complete letter while you still have their attention
A verbal offer that takes a week to appear in writing invites a counter from someone else. The letter should include title, location, fixed and variable pay, probation, notice and joining date. Walk through it on a call. Do not make them decode CTC alone.
- Explain in-hand versus CTC in plain language.
- Put buyout support in the letter if you agreed to it.
- Give a clear date for their decision, and keep your side responsive until then.
Stay in touch until the joining date
The risk is not over at acceptance. Candidates resign into a counter-offer. A manager call, a team introduction and a practical answer about the first week prevent cold feet. If they decline, ask why and fix the pattern, not just the pep talk.
- Schedule one human contact during the notice period.
- Help with the joining logistics you promised.
- Track decline reasons. Repeated "pay" or "speed" comments are a process bug.
Early honesty about pay and dates, a fast written offer, and a human on the other end until they join.
Questions people ask
Should we match a counter-offer?
- Only if the new number is inside a band you can defend for the level. A one-off spike creates pay problems on the team. Sometimes the right move is to congratulate them and move to the next candidate.
How long should we hold an offer open?
- A few working days is normal. Holding it for weeks while they run a full extra search usually means you will lose them anyway.
What if they accept and then disappear?
- Call once, email once, then restart the backup candidate. Build a backup before you close sourcing on a single name.
Related reading
Nisha Rao
Nisha writes hiring playbooks for founders and talent teams in India, covering job descriptions, interviews, offers and campus hiring.
