For hiring managers who are experiencing daily financial losses due to client-facing roles not being filled promptly.
Is Your Offer Rejection Rate High?
Do Candidates "Suddenly" Lose Interest In the Role?
Has Your Role Been Open Longer Than 45 Days?
If so, this article will provide insight as to why these things are happening and ways to help fix them.
In the competitive talent acquisition landscape, understanding why candidates decline job offers is paramount to crafting effective recruitment strategies and minimizing the time needed to fill job openings. Executive InQuest delves into the intricacies of this crucial aspect of the hiring process in this article.
Through extensive research and years of experience working with both job seekers and hiring professionals, Executive InQuest has uncovered the underlying factors that lead candidates to turn down seemingly attractive job offers. From mismatched expectations to issues of company culture and beyond, we explore the multifaceted reasons behind these decisions.
The Budget Assigned To The Position Falls Short Of The Current Market Standards
Low salary remains the topmost cause for candidates to reject job offers. This is no surprise to the hiring manager. Even worse, 99% of the time the hiring manager has no final say so on the approved budget.
Hiring managers do get the opportunity to submit their budget requests to finance and/or the board of directors for approval. However, they oftentimes are subject to whatever number is approved.
Note: The finance department's responsibility is to properly allocate the available funds for hiring across the entire company. This often results in hiring managers not getting the full amount requested for their hiring budget.
We will assume the hiring manager knows the offered salary is not competitive and cannot be increased due to budget constraints.
Here's how you can resolve the issue and avoid further time being wasted:
Use your recruiters as the first line of defense:
Recruiters need to establish the salary requirement/expectation of the candidate during the initial phone screen.
If the candidate's expectation is higher than the approved salary, they should automatically disqualify them.
It's not advisable for the recruiter to forward the candidate's application to the hiring manager, even if the candidate seems like an ideal fit.
This is because the budget has already been set, and moving forward would waste both the candidate's and the hiring manager's time.
Moreover, it can lead to a negative candidate experience and eliminate the possibility of reconsidering the candidate if the budget becomes available in the future.
At each stage of the interview process the recruiter needs to re-confirm that the salary expectations of the candidate have not changed.
Expectations often change for candidates as they interview with other companies and are offered a higher salary.
Have a clear understanding of the current job market and adjust your expectations as the hiring manager accordingly.
As the hiring manager, you are aware of the necessary skill level required for an effective team member. However, the issue lies in the lack of salary capital to hire the ideal candidate.
In this case, you need to focus on the soft skills and mindset needed to be successful in the role. This will help you identify a less experienced candidate with the growth potential and mental capacity to be a functional member of the team.
Most importantly, be sure to communicate those soft skills with the recruiting team supporting your role.
The recruiting team may not send many candidates due to the low salary offered. So do not place pressure on them, accusing them of not doing their part!
Remember, you are a team working towards a common goal. It is neither the recruiter's nor the hiring manager's fault that the approved budget is below market value.
To prevent candidates from declining offers due to inadequate salary, it is imperative that hiring managers and recruiters maintain patience and understanding with each other.
The Interview Process Is Excessive and/or Confusing
The second most common reason candidates reject job offers is due to a lengthy and confusing interview process. Some candidates go through 6 rounds of interviews before receiving an offer, only to ultimately reject it.
Here's how you can resolve the issue and avoid further time being wasted:
Restrict the number of interviews a candidate must attend to a maximum of 2-3 rounds (not including the initial phone screen by the recruiter).
The hiring manager, having the final say should select a hiring committee of two others and that be it.
This is YOUR team, trust your instinct as a leader and make a decision.
Incorporating panel interviews is essential to involve multiple decision-makers and respect candidates' valuable time. It's a win-win situation for both parties.
At Executive InQuest we suggest our clients ask the interviewers to dedicate 1-2 days a week to interviewing.
This allows candidates to have all of their interviews in ONE DAY.
If interviewers cannot commit the time to interview, they should not be on the interview committee!
Limiting the flow of applicants will only hinder the hiring process and cause you to lose qualified candidates.
Ensure that interviewers are adequately trained on the role objectives and success criteria for the candidate's initial 90 days.
Sometimes candidates decline job offers because they receive conflicting or unclear expectations from the various interviewers they meet with. This can leave them uncertain about the role and whether they would be successful in it. Additionally, this lack of communication within the team can indicate a breakdown in the overall culture and decrease the likelihood of success in the position.
Before starting the interview process, meet with the interviewing team to establish expectations.
Do this during the kick-off meeting prior to even sourcing for candidates. Make sure the recruiting team is a part of this meeting.
Let's Wrap This Up
In the realm of talent acquisition, time is of the essence, and our findings underscore this truth. With 68% of candidates pointing to salary misalignment and 45% citing a convoluted interview process as top reasons for rejecting job offers, it's clear that addressing these issues is vital. To mitigate financial losses due to unfilled roles, we offer actionable solutions.
Recruiters must become the vanguard, aligning candidate expectations with budget realities.
Hiring managers must adapt their approach to identify candidates with the potential to thrive in the role, even if the ideal salary isn't feasible.
Streamline the interview process to a maximum of 2-3 rounds, ensuring clarity and consistency throughout.
Effective collaboration and mutual understanding between hiring managers and recruiters are crucial for achieving successful hires. By adopting these strategies, you can minimize offer rejections, save precious time, and attract the right talent to propel your organization forward.
Executive InQuest provides consultation services for recruitment departments. Contact us for a free quote by clicking the button below. We are excited to work with you!
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