3 Ways to Seal the Deal With a Promising Candidate

Rejected job offers happen. They’re almost inevitable in today’s competitive talent market.

However, if your team takes a closer look to analyze why your company is being rejected, you can implement human resources best practices and minimize the risk of candidates joining another organization.

Why are offers rejected?

One of the key factors in preventing a job offer rejection is to determine why they are turned down in the first place. According to a Careerbuilder survey of 400 professionals in the staffing industry, candidates decline a job offer most frequently because:

• Candidate received another offer (39 percent).
• Compensation and benefits are not in line with the candidate’s expectations (29 percent).
• Candidate received a counteroffer from current company (10 percent).

A rejected job offer for a key position could cost thousands of dollars in wasted time and expenses. To determine why your offers are being frequently rejected, consider the following best practices from a human resources standpoint:

Ask new hires why they accepted the job offer.

On their first day on the job, have your human resources team ask new employees what elements of the offer were most compelling in their decision or almost caused them to reject the job offer. Use their feedback to improve future offers.

Talk to applicants and new hires about your recruitment process. 

The hiring process is the only aspect of a company that an applicant is exposed to prior to on-boarding, so ensure you have a full understanding of her perception of your human resources department’s process and make adjustments when needed.

Take a critical look at your job offer letter. 

Does the offer letter effectively describe the job and your company? Be sure to include all perks, employee benefits, differentiators and incentives.

Send out post-reject surveys to applicants who declined a job offer. 

Send out a survey to applicants who surprised you by declining your offer. Most candidates will initially mention salary as the reason for turning down your organization — but this may not be the case. Give it three to six months before reaching out. You should receive more truthful answers after a few months have passed.

Seal the Deal

Most applicants are concerned with open communication, growth and learning opportunities, flexibility, control of what they work on, control of who they work with, and when their work must take place.

While there are many variables that factor into an applicant’s decision to accept or reject a job offer, there are also steps employers can take to ensure a candidate will accept an offer once it is presented:

Include the team in the interview

It makes sense for the direct supervisor to be one of the people interviewing a candidate. It gives both the manager and the candidate an opportunity to evaluate the potential relationship. Be sure to tell applicants what to expect in terms of the company culture and their role in a specific team or department.

Communicate frequently

Be timely when communicating with candidates. Even a quick email check-in with a potential employee will show professionalism, enthusiasm, and transparency in the hiring process and reflect well on your company. Lack of follow-up could show disinterest and cause a great candidate to move on.

Ask questions about the candidate’s wants and needs

Always assume the candidate has other offers on the table. The best way to ensure they weigh the offers in your favor is to be direct.

Throughout the interview process, ask questions that will uncover the individual’s wants and needs. Consider asking candidates to describe their dream jobs, in terms of location, culture, work environment, and communication styles. When you’ve made a job offer, ask if there is anything your organization needs to change to ensure you’re the candidate’s first choice.

Though these suggestions are not foolproof, they will help you limit the number of job offer rejections that come through your door. By gathering information and evaluating your current human resources processes, you can improve your recruiting success and avoid rejected job offers.

If you’re looking for support with hiring and retaining the best talent, our human resources company is here to help. Contact Cornerstone Insurance Group today.