Candidate Dropouts - What to do?
“overcoming this frustration can be difficult.”
You have worked hard to find the perfect candidate. You have guided them through the whole process. You reach out to the candidate to let them know that they have been offered the role.
They decline.
This is one of the worst parts of recruitment in my opinion and overcoming this frustration can be difficult. I have experienced this issue many times throughout my time as a recruiter and luckily, I have developed many tips and tricks in dealing with this disappointment.
So, if I was to share some of these tips and tricks with myself from times gone by to stop myself from discouraged after a candidate denial, here’s what they would be.
“take these disappointments in your stride and always keep a positive mindset in the face of adversity.”
1. Don’t take it to heart
It can be frustrating when a person turns down an offer that they seemed destined for. The trick is to not let it get to you. Although this can be very hard this is a part of recruitment that will happen now as well as in the future and is a part of the role that you have to deal with and accept. The main thing is that you should always respond positively to a candidate turning down an offer. It is not a good idea to react negatively as you want to keep a strong relationship with your candidates whether you have placed them or not.
2. Get to the bottom of why the candidate declined the offer:
Always follow up with the candidate as to why they have declined the offer made. This is a good idea for a number of reasons and may give some suggestions as to what can be improved. Some questions can include:
Was the process too slow?
Was the candidate offered bettered terms and conditions elsewhere?
Did the candidate have a bad experience?
Are you targeting the right people for this role?
The process of re-engaging with the candidate and asking such questions can help you improve as a recruiter because you can streamline the recruitment process and pick up on ways to improve.
3. Overcome
The worst thing you can do in this situation is dwell on it and feel sorry for yourself. Make sure that you have people to be interviewed and considered for the role. If you dwell on it, it will put you at risk of not filling the role in question.
Overall, I’ve learned that it’s important to take these disappointments in your stride and always keep a positive mindset in the face of adversity. It’s clear that recruitment can have such severe ups and downs but I wouldn't choose to do anything else as a career!