How to avoid rejection from a strong candidate
You have this great candidate and everyone is excited about bringing him or her on-board - you make the offer and then the candidate doesn’t accept....What happened?
Finding the right candidate is only half the battle, the real battle is closing a strong, passive candidate. The best have multiple options and because they are passive it will take more effort to get them to decide to join. Over the years, I have seen many that got lost in the offer stages. Losing someone at this stage is painful and costly. There are often no back-ups which means going back to the drawing board. In hindsight, many declines could have been avoided by taking simple steps.
From my experience, it boils down to preparation and asking the right questions throughout the process. Preparing for the offer stage should start right at the beginning of every candidate interview process, and not at the end. It sounds simple, but this is rarely executed well. It starts with opening a req, a varied line up of interviewers who can provide a 360 degree view of the job, making sure everyone involved in the hiring process has a clear understanding of what the job entails and having a process in place with recruiters and approvers to move fast once the right candidate has been found.
These 5 steps will then ensure your strongest candidates will not decline:
1. Clarity on salary expectations
Recruiters usually do a good job gauging how much the candidate makes, but what about what a candidate expects? A poor understanding of what compensation level would make a candidate move is at the root cause of some declines. Often there are costs involved beyond current base salary such as unvested equity, relocation costs or a looming promotion at the current company. Comp is not the only consideration factor and it shouldn’t be for the strongest candidates. But it matters, so make sure you know what the “number” is that will make someone move early on in the process. Try and pre-close the candidate.
2. Candidate is not really bought in - gauge true excitement
Everyone can fake excitement, but few can truthfully answer this simple question: What would it take for you to accept an offer today? Or decline an offer – both work equally well although I prefer the latter. Fast forward to the offer moment and ask this question early on in the interview process. It’s a very open ended question and then wait to see what direction the candidate takes it. Carefully observe for signals that suggest hesitation – a long pause or a vague answer are red flags that a candidate may have doubts or hasn’t fully embraced the idea of making a switch. Even if you are not sure whether you would even hire this person, in the end, it will tell you how hungry they are. It gives you a signal of how much selling you may have to do later on or simply decide to give up because you are too far apart.
3. Do not leave it to the recruiter
You as a hiring manager need to clearly describe what the candidate signs up for and what success looks like. Balance the amount of selling of the job carefully with what the candidates’ interest and motivations are. It is usually best to start off with getting a clear understanding of what new experiences a candidate is hoping to gain in the next 12 months. This way, you can work out how much the new job will meet the candidates’ expectations. I have seen several times that candidates make it through the second round and they still do not have a good sense of what the job entails. And worse, there is misalignment among the interviewers on what the person will be doing. Having upfront intelligence on what new challenges a candidate is looking for, will help you sell the job more effectively in later stages. But beware of the job hoppers – a review of the LinkedIn profile will provide clues as to whether you are dealing with someone who gets excited about everything but fails to formulate what they truly want from a job. They simply don’t know what they want.
4. Unearth hidden barriers
Before the final round, investigate all the possible barriers. Re-location, family circumstances or visa requirements are the obvious ones but often overlooked. And by the time that a candidate gets to the later rounds, expect that he or she will be in active job searching mode. Even if they were passive when the process started, my estimate is that most strong candidates will have had enough time to weigh options and seek out new ones. Everyone likes to have many options in life and job searching is no different. Beware of that and frequently gauge throughout the process whether other competitive options and offers have gotten on the table. It also means that you want to move fast. Many companies have very elongated hiring processes and if you can stay nimble you have an edge.
5. Selling the job is everyone's job
Once an offer is made but not accepted on the spot, immediately mobilize the entire team to send a congratulatory note - this is a valuable tip that I learned from James Raybould. Also look for mutual connections who can influence the candidates’ decision. A note from an influencer and a simple congratulatory gesture from the team are extremely effective in pulling candidates across the finishing line. It takes someone 90 seconds or less to write a congratulatory note and in aggregate they matter in the candidates’ decision and they leave a lasting positive first-impression.
Image source: https://www.nannyjobs.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/nothanks1.jpg