We’ve all been there – painstakingly trying to figure out that went wrong, scrutinising ourselves, our candidates, the world. Why didn’t they accept the offer? Why did they accept another job? Why did they rescind interest, 6 weeks into working their notice?

So many riddles. 

We might think that the war for talent starts begins with counter offers, or better benefits – maybe your candidate won the lottery. But it’s not uncommon for companies to unintentionally raise ‘red flags’ during the hiring process, causing candidates to back out/freak out, or “ghost” us - and here’s why…

There are a lot of factors that can change the mind of a candidate – at offer stage and beyond. It’s frustrating, but it’s the reality of what we face in today’s recruitment market.

Moving jobs is a big decision, and we often underestimate this when planning out our hiring process.

Below, I have indicated 10 key points to fixing some of these potential problems. 

1. The ever-changing job description

Issue: There is nothing that frustrates a candidate more than being given a job summary pre-interview, only for it to change at interview stage, or even post interview. What a waste of their time, and your time. It is essential to first understand what the company needs from the position before advertising a vacancy. Candidate perception is huge during the hiring process and moving the goal posts is damaging to the outcome, damaging to company reputation and it sends the wrong message to the candidate market. 

Reflection: Spend time ahead of your candidate search assessing where the real gaps are and how this vacancy will bridge those – ask the hiring manager what the key tasks really are and what level of experience and qualifications are truly needed. Previous hiring approaches should not be a continual template. If you disagree with these requirements as a company recruiter, go back to the hiring manager or the director, to discuss this and make your point known. This often irons out any mixed messages, or issues in determining what is required, and keeps the process running smoothly.  

2. Scrappy processes

Issue: We’ve all experienced scrappy processes as candidates. A scrappy process to me, is when the company doesn’t know what the company and the candidate needs out of the process, from start to finish. You’re way behind competitively, if you’re still “winging it” with your pre-selection, interviews and beyond – your competitors are smashing it with their slick, informative, relevant recruitment procedures. 

Reflection: Break down the key steps in the process and build target results around these. For example, what message do you want to send candidates at first stage interview? What information do you need to know about them? How can you give a candidate a true insight into what life is like at your company? Spend time understanding how the process could potentially aid in both optimising the process, whilst keeping it robust and efficient, resulting in informed decisions.

3. Out with the stale interviews!

Issue: There is a clear reason why people dislike interviews. Because candidates have a pre-conception that they will be tedious, lacklustre, with no real insight into the company, or into the role. A lot of candidates can feel uninspired about a role or can feel they haven’t been able to show case their “value added” experience. 

Reflection: It’s a tough one, trying to ensure interviews are engaging - whilst keeping to the appropriate tone and ensuring an educated decision is made at each stage of the process. For me, it’s not difficult to build your interview content in blocks. For example, let’s say you have an hour allocated for the candidate – why not try and mix it up? First 5 minutes introducing you, the company, the role; followed by 20-30 minutes of questions made up of technical and “get-to-know-you” questions. Then factor in another 10 minutes to discuss the company’s ambitions, how they are looking to achieve these, what it’s like to be part of the team - and perhaps ask the candidate what they envisage for their professional future. Why not walk the candidate around the working space for a short while, showing them the environment, the “vibe”. Lastly, the remainder is always well spent re-enforcing essential points and important messages. Let the candidate take away food for thought.

4. Delays, delays, delays

Issue: Candidates have an element of tolerance. They understand that sometimes, businesses are busy, things crop up that cause temporary pauses on recruitment procedures, short delays on feedback etc. But what happens in the meantime? The firm down the street is already at offer stage with that candidate, rendering your current process a waste of time, money, and energy. It sounds harsh, bit it’s the reality of the market right now – highly competitive and moving faster than ever.

Reflection: Plan timescales from the start, considering notice periods of candidates too. Sometimes it’s never too early to start that search. Ask yourself, what is realistic in terms of timeframes and expectations from the process? Have a set time in the day to go through an “active” candidate lists for each role – what was the last communication you sent, what is the next action here? Doing this 30-45 minutes a day will help you build much more momentum, and candidates are kept informed, keeping the process ticking along nicely. 

5. The “two-way street” philosophy

Issue: Some employers feel that candidates should feel wowed at an invite to interview, or to be given an offer.  Candidates should be grateful for the opportunity! And why on earth would a candidate ask, “what’s in it for me?” Well, wise up fellow recruiters. They are making demands – and the way that recruitment trends have shifted, they are reasonable demands too in today’s setting. It’s a two-way street, an interview is also an interview for the company. It is a mental barrier to think that you are in the driving seat. 

Reflection: This one starts at the top. All managers that create requisitions, all the way through to the recruitment team, need to be on the same page with this one. If you’re looking for top talent, real professionals that make your company better – you need to treat them like it and remember there are two driving seats in this situation. One for you, and one for the candidate.  Why not openly discuss how decision makers feel about this? Can we look at this from a different point of view to break down those mental barriers and balance the process to support this?

6. The human element

Issue: Personality is a big sell to candidates – company culture is of course important and determines job contentment. But those people who recruit and are actively involved in the hiring process are the brand ambassadors – the front-line faces of the organisation. We’ve all heard the concept “people buy from people” – it’s couldn’t be truer in this situation. I believe most have moved on from blind ambition, as candidates have a broader “checklist” of what they want.

Reflection: Get your most engaging people interviewing! If the Head of Commercial isn’t so palatable in these situations, then he or she shouldn’t dominate the process. They should absolutely be part of it, but there needs to be balance achieved (see point 3 and try to break it up). Those who are a true representation of the company culture, should be front and centre – so that the interaction is the optimum reflection of what it is like to work at your company.

7. The offer

Issue: The candidate is interested; you’ve vaguely discussed the offer – it’s looking good. It’s now paramount to keep in mind exactly what was essential for the candidate to move jobs, this should have been a key part of your process early on. It’s not ok to acknowledge what their salary expectations are, and then to “low-ball” and see how you can reduce costs, or to change your mind on any benefits or other peripheral perks. Candidates have options remember – so transparency and consistency throughout is key to secure the results all the way through to offer stage.

Reflation: Communicate the boundaries with packages and benefits with internal and external recruiters and stick to those. Have a “candidate review” template, listing out all the factors the candidate would need (not want); salary, bonus, healthcare, flexibility, holidays, cyclical commitments etc. By doing this, you have a marker all the way through the process, so that at offer stage your proposal is kept relevant, realistic and doesn’t blindside the candidate, or waste anyone’s time.

8. Team involvement

Issue: TOO many cooks spoil the broth. You must limit hands on each stage of the recruitment process. The process can lose its momentum the more people delay each stage with their opinions, and therefore the candidate loses interest very quickly. It also looks like the internal team are not on the same page and creates unnecessary roadblocks to results. 

Reflection: There needs to be people pre-selected from the start, for each hiring stage – these people should have authority to make the decisions at that stage. I’m also a big believer in competency frameworks for this as a benchmark reference to the requisition. Recruiters can lose candidates because the stages of the selection process have stunted progress, which is interpreted by candidates as a form of rejection. They move on fast. 

9. KIT days and intermittent communications

Issue: OK so you’ve secured the candidate, they have handed in their notice and you’re ready to prepare for their arrival. 12 weeks (common notice for my sector), is a long time. Remember the reason why recruitment is tough now – people have options. To maintain a healthy “pre working relationship” with your candidate, why not keep in touch?

Reflection: Have a process ready during their notice period where you intermittently contact/engage with them – send those payroll forms, send details of the benefits, show some of the social aspects of the firm or email them the newsletter. Let them feel part of your community before they even start. Family feel always wins. 

10. Acknowledge its hard right now!

We recruiters get frustrated that the results can’t come quick enough. But it’s the same for most. We must buckle up and make sure we are doing everything we can to control the outward perception we project onto candidates in terms of the opportunities, the company vision, and the internal prospects. Focusing on some of the above, keeping it slick, might just enhance your output.