It’s been weeks, or maybe months. You’ve waded through endless resumes, narrowed down the field to a handful of candidates, and extended an offer to your top choice…only to hear “Thanks, but no thanks.”
What do you do now? Here’s how to bounce back after your top candidate turns down your offer:
Find out why.
Candidates decline job offers for a number of reasons – but a great many of them are within your control. If the response is “I’m not comfortable with the compensation,” find out why. Perhaps they’re looking at a better offer from a competing firm, or the benefits of working with your company don’t outweigh a smaller salary in their minds. Meanwhile, a candidate who accepted a job offer elsewhere may have done so because the other company offered a better fit – or because your hiring process simply took too long.
Get competitive.
If you believe the candidate would entertain a counteroffer, take another look at the compensation package you’re offering. Is the salary competitive for candidates with your top choice’s level of experience and expertise? What is the value of the total benefits package, including items like healthcare and retirement? Where can you offer nontraditional benefits like flex time or working remotely in order to improve the value of the compensation package without breaking the bank?
Speed up your hiring process.
Top candidates are in high demand in any company. Many “thanks, but no thanks” responses occur because you’re simply the second one in the door; the candidate has already accepted a position with another company. While you may not be able to fix this problem with the current candidate, you can reduce your chances of being beaten to the punch in the future. By working with a staffing firm, you partner with an experienced recruiter who can help you streamline the hiring process. Together, you’ll find better candidates – and extend the job offer – in less time.
At ExecuTeam, our recruiters can help you find better candidates and speed up the hiring process so “We’d like to offer you the job” is followed by “Great! When can I start?” Contact us today to learn more about our recruiting solutions in Houston.