Confirming the outcome and making a verbal offer

As soon as the panel has come to an agreed final decision on who should be offered the job you need to think about contacting the person to make what is commonly referred to as the 'verbal offer'. This will then be followed up by the formal offer of employment letter and contract which will be issued by HR following your confirmation of the outcome.

Things to bear in mind when making the verbal offer:

• Do this as soon as possible, ideally by telephone, as any delay could be crucial if, for instance, the person has other job offers to consider;

• Be positive and enthusiastic - give the person feedback on how well they performed;

• You will certainly need to discuss a potential start date, possibly confirm the salary to be offered and anything else that needs to be clarified. If the potential for negotiation is anticipated prior to the verbal offer or is an outcome of the verbal offer then ensure that any issues requiring negotiation and agreement are discussed with your line manager and/ or Faculty or Divisional HR Team as appropriate. 

• Check whether they have anything further they want to ask you at this stage.

• Without pressurising the individual, try to establish whether they are likely to accept the offer. In most cases the answer will be yes, but sometimes people may need some time to think. If this is the case try to agree a timescale for them to get back to you within. 

• Its worth briefly explaining what will happen next ie HR will issue a formal offer of employment and, for non-academic posts, references will now be taken up;

• It may also be worth considering a 'post offer' visit - either to continue negotiations or discussions on the appointment or simply to enable to the candidate to visit the work environment and meet colleagues in a more relaxed environment. Please note that any payment of to the candidate of expenses incurred would need to be paid for from the local rather than HR budget.

• Remember that anything you agree with the candidate at this stage is subject to the formal offer of employment being issued and a signed copy returned by the individual.

Confirming the outcome to HR

The chair of the panel (or a colleague working on their behalf who has been given eRecruit access to the vacancy) will need to record the outcomes for the candidates who have been interviewed in eRecruit, so that the appointment process and (where required) informing unsuccessful candidates can be initiated by your Faculty or Divisional HR Team. (Note - it is recommended that this action is carried out after the verbal offer to the successful candidate(s) has been made).

You should also send the interview forms and any other notes and documentation relating to the selection process  to your Faculty or Divisional HR Team.

Confirming the outcome to the unsuccessful interview candidates

It is recommended that the Chair of the panel take responsibility for informing unsuccessful candidates (and provide a holding message to reserve candidates where required) either verbally or by email. If you require your Faculty or Divisional HR Team to inform unsuccessful candidates then this must be confirmed when the outcome of the interviews is recorded in eRecruit. 

If you have appointable second- or third-choice reserve candidates, the outcome should not be confirmed until the verbal offer to the first choice candidate has been accepted and any on-going negotiations concluded. If this means a protracted delay (for instance a week or more) then a holding response via email is recommended.

If you are asked to provide feedback it is best practice to do so in writing (e-mail is sufficient). It is important to ensure your comments are factual and relate to the selection criteria and to your written records. If in doubt about what feedback to give or if a candidate requests data on the selection process (ie this is a formal Data Protection Request) then refer on to your Faculty or Divisional HR Team.