5 Reasons that Candidate Walked Away

Many Hiring Managers think they are doing everything perfectly during the recruitment cycle…until something goes awry. Once they experience a rejected offer or a candidate pulling out of the interview process, they want to learn what they could have done differently. I’m here to tell you: start working on improving your hiring efforts before these things happen!

Don’t let that candidate walk away.

In this competitive marketplace, candidates are well-retained and are being courted by multiple top firms (likely your biggest competitors). They are discerning and are evaluating you and your firm like never before.

Be self-aware and willing to improve. After you read this, I recommend that you identify how you and your team can be improve. Below are five potential reasons you may have lost that amazing candidate you really wanted to hire for your open role:

1. You weren’t talking to the candidate often enough

Expecting your internal and external recruiters to keep in touch with your top candidates? That’s part of our job and we’ll happily continue to do that. But, what about you? Candidates want to hear directly from their potential hiring managers. Talk to your Recruitment team, but I imagine they would agree: be more communicative with candidates. Some ideas: Take your top candidates out to lunch/coffee in between interviews, call them to check-in and see if they have any follow-up questions, pop into the interview room before their next interviewer to prepare them/ensure they have their questions answered. Communication helps you to build rapport. Rapport will help a candidate choose your firm over another. If a candidate is struggling to decide between 2 offers, they will strongly consider the Manager they feel the most connected to and will appreciate the one who made the most effort to directly communicate with them.

2. You didn’t make the candidate a priority

Are you too busy to interview? Is this search feeling like a hassle to you? If so, you likely won’t be able to secure your ideal candidate. You must make filling this role on your team a top priority. These candidates are likely working hard where they are, and leaving for interviews becomes increasingly more difficult. Showing that you are flexible to meet them before or after work makes them feel valued. What if you were to meet them for a coffee near their office? Offer a video call if they can’t make it in? Don’t let 2-4 weeks go between 1st and 2nd interviews. Keep momentum. View this open vacancy as your top priority and adjust your calendars accordingly. Candidates appreciate this more than you know. If they feel this search isn’t your priority and meeting them is a hassle for you, they’ll walk away.

3. You didn’t hear the candidate’s goals and desires

Many hiring managers make the mistake of failing to consider what the candidate wants. Instead of thinking “What do I want in an ideal candidate?” you must shift to “What does this candidate want in an ideal job?” Don’t hesitate to ask candidates questions on the interview that address this topic. Some ideas: What are you looking for in your next career opportunity? How does this compare to other things you’ve seen? What could we change to make this opportunity more appealing to you? This is a refreshing and opposite approach to the all-too-common: “Why should we hire you?” question (which doesn’t work in this market, by the way).

4. You didn’t excite the candidate

Recognize early in the process that you are excited about this candidate? Start authentically selling them on why this move is good for their career. Tell them! Get them pumped! They may be frightened to make a move and need your reassurance that this is a good move for them. Make them feel valued and let them know you would be honored to hire them. This is a very different approach to the all-too-common “Tell us why you want to work here” approach. Try this instead: “We’re going to tell you why you want to work here!”

5. You didn’t move fast enough

Let’s say you are an expert at #1-#4. Good for you! You've maintained frequent communication with the candidate, made yourself available to meet them, listened to their goals, and genuinely enticed them on the role. But, they still walked away. What went wrong? I bet you took too long to make them an offer. While you were dragging your feet, a few things may have happened: your competition may have swooped in and made them an offer they couldn’t refuse or their current boss got the sense they were interviewing and promoted them/gave them an increased salary. This is happening often and it’s incredibly frustrating to hiring managers when it occurs. Avoid this! Time kills all recruitment processes. Before you start interviewing: Get full budget approval for the role, train your interview team, and have a clear timeline communicated to all. Then, when the right candidate comes along-present a strong offer. Don't delay!

These are my top 5 reasons but I know there are lots more…would love to hear your ideas and thoughts. Please feel free to leave in the comments section below. Why do you think top candidates are walking away from opportunities? What other behaviors are contributing to losing candidates in the hiring process? How else can hiring managers ensure they secure their top candidate? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Find me on Twitter @EastSideStaff !