Many businesses believe that the most important part of the hiring process is finding the perfect candidate. You invest a huge amount of time and effort into reviewing files, interviewing applicants and negotiating offers, but when all is said and done, you’re gaining a valuable new addition to your team.
Or at least you hope so.
It’s not uncommon for a candidate to reject an employment offer at the end of the recruitment process—even when they’ve seemed to express enthusiasm about the position throughout the entire experience. Regardless of whether you’ve conducted thorough interviews and selected the right person for the job, none of this matters if your candidates are routinely turning down offers.
There will always be circumstances where an individual makes the decision to decline. However, if your business regularly experiences a high number of rejected job offers, it may be time to revisit your hiring process.
Here are a few keys to improve your acceptance rate:
Look for Patterns
The first step in understanding where you might be going wrong during recruitment is to analyze the context(s) in which your offers are being declined. Look for similar situations and patterns among candidates. For instance, are offers declined immediately, or do candidates tend to take several days to deliberate? Does the problem seem to be an issue of timing; i.e. have they already accepted another offer by the time you make yours? Is it often a question of salary? Once you’ve determined what the main pain points are among those that have turned down your offers in the past, it will be much easier to begin generating possible solutions.
Be Prompt
One of the most common reasons for rejecting a job offer is timing. Perhaps the candidate was fully ready to accept an offer from your company…if only it had come a little sooner. Being in the job market is tough, and sometimes candidates aren’t willing to spend weeks interviewing and waiting around. Whether this means combining your second and third interview, or simply shortening the turnaround time for post-interview decision making, getting a great offer out ahead of the competition gives you an edge when it comes to snatching up talent.
Show Them the Money
If you’ve analyzed your past rejected offers, and over 50 percent of your candidates walked away because the salary was too low, you may need to consider offering a more competitive salary. Even if you’ve assessed the market and decided upon figures, you simply can’t make a habit out of losing the best candidates on the basis of salary. Present your evidence to a prominent member of your company to see if some budgetary changes might allow you to make better offers.
Roll Out the Welcome Wagon
For job candidates, the days between accepting an offer from a new company and resigning from one’s current role can be a time filled with doubt and uncertainty. This is also the time when candidates are prone to change their minds or accept counteroffers. Instead of simply making an offer and waiting for a response, try to keep a dialogue open with candidates during the days following. Invite them to come back into the office for a tour. Include them in a social event or informal team meeting. By making candidates feel welcome and comfortable in your work environment, you’ll ease the decision-making process for them and greatly decrease the chance that they’ll walk away.
Still wondering why job candidates aren’t accepting your offers? Contact the experts at Employment Professionals Canada and we will be happy to assist you today!
