How to Prevent Candidates from backing out

So you’ve made an offer to an employee and he’s agreed to join your company. You proceed to call him on his joining date and there’s no answer! You try reaching out to him via email or texts but you still can’t connect with him. A few days later, you check his LinkedIn profile and find out that he’s working for another organisation.

Does this sound situation sound familiar? Candidates backing out are a true nuisance for recruiters and employers alike. It adds to the workload of the HR department, and also contributes to higher hiring costs for the employer. Moreover, the position that needs to be filled remains vacant adding further liability.

Some of the consequences of candidates backing out are:

1. The hiring process has to be restarted
2. Time spent on waiting for the candidate to join is wasted
3. Delay in timeline of organisation’s goals
4. Costs of hiring shoots up
5. Demotivates recruiters

Why do candidates back out from an offer?

1. They’re current company convinced them to stay
2. They’ve got a better offer in another company
3. They developed cold feet and aren’t ready for the change
4. They rethought their position on the job role
5. A personal emergency disables them from joining the company

Almost every time a candidate backs out you’ll find that one of the above reasons is valid. Dealing with these possibilities efficiently and in a timely manner can help avoid the seemingly inevitable event. Some steps can be taken to avoid these possibilities from happening while certain things should be done as good practice after the fact. Let’s take a deeper look at each of the stated reasons and how we can effectively tackle it.

1) Company convinced them to stay

Candidates when submitting their resume might be convinced to stay with their current company. Usually the company might agree to some demands of the employee which cancels out their need for a different opportunity.

The best approach in this situation is to understand the candidates need for a job change. If the candidate is leaving for reasons related to designation or better pay then it’s easier for his current organisation to retain him. On the other hand, work culture and location are harder for organisations to change. It’s best to connect with the candidate as soon as he’s submitted his resignation. Having a conversation immediately after the candidate as put in his/her papers will give you a better idea of the situation.

2) They’ve got a better offer from another company

This is probably the most common reason for a candidate to dishonour his/her joining date. As a recruiter or an employer, you must accept that candidates will look at other offers while they wait for their joining date. When we speak about a better offer they could mean a couple of things:

1. Better pay
2. Better working conditions (office, location, amenities)
3. A more reputed brand
4. Better role

We could add a couple of more points to what qualifies as a better offer. However, you can tell by now that there isn’t much scope to tackle these points in the short run. In a situation like this the best you can do is to find out earlier than later. Hence, staying in touch constantly with the candidate is a must. Another approach to keep people from joining another company is to make the candidate feel wanted. Candidates are more likely to join a company where they feel important and this also creates a positive environment.

3) They’ve developed cold feet

Change is difficult and for some candidates the fear of what lies ahead in their new role, may cause them to change their minds. If a candidate accepts a job offer but then changes his mind, it is mainly due to the uncertainty of his new role. In such scenarios, a little reassurance might be able to turn the tide in your favour. Reiterating the benefits and the security of the job and also promising growth (if possible) might be able to get the candidate to rethink his/her decision.

4) They rethought their position on the job role

While job hunting, candidates may have accepted roles that they’re not entirely happy with. When the joining date draws closer, it’s possible that the new job may not be as attractive to them as they initially thought.

Such scenarios can be contained through an effective interview process. It’s important to gauge the willingness and excitement the candidate has towards the role. If a candidate isn’t convinced about his role, drop-out rates are always going to be higher. What could be worse is that the candidate might choose to leave within a couple of days of joining. Asking the right questions at the interview stage can help you avoid drop-offs and help you avoid hiring poorly motivated employees.

5) A personal emergency prevents them from joining

Probably the least likely of all probable reasons, a personal emergency really leaves you with very few options. The best approach in the scenario is to be supportive and see if you could extend the joining date by a couple of days.

Personal emergencies are often used as an excuse by candidates who do not wish to join your organisation for reasons they don’t want to disclose. Since there may not be a fool proof way of determining the honesty of the candidate, it’s best to be a little conservative when extending supportive courtesies towards the candidate.