5 Reasons Why Top Talent Will Decline Your Job Offer

Identifying the ideal candidate for a position, organizing multiple interviews, ensuring close and personalized follow-up at each stage of the recruitment process. These are just a few of a recruiter’s many tasks when it comes to hiring new talent. The recruiter can consider their work to be almost complete when they finally make an offer to candidates who stood out. This moment is especially significant as it marks the entry of new talent into the business. That’s why, when a candidate declines a job offer, recruiters are often as surprised as they are disappointed. Understanding the reasons for refusal is essential to identifying the steps you should take to never end up in such a situation again.

#1. Salary and benefits are below their expectations

Modern employees are more sensitive than ever to company cultures, and they care about the meaning of their work when it comes to choosing a position. But salaries remain an important factor in deciding whether or not to commit to a job. During your various meetings, be sure to discuss the issue of compensation with candidates. Potential employees must be familiar with your salary scale and feel confident enough to communicate their own expectations. At the end of your interviews, everyone should have a clear idea of the amount expected.

While this may be tempting, don’t try to bargain by offering a salary below what you can truly offer. A proposal that is too low can offend a promising potential employee and cause them to completely drop the recruitment process. Before you even start looking for candidates, ask yourself how important potential talent is to you. If recruiting the best is the only way for you to increase your productivity and outperform your competitors, then you’re going to have to offer the best as well.

#2. You waited too long

As you know, in today’s job market, candidates have all the power. The best talent is frequently approached by headhunters and recruiters for positions that match their qualifications. In these conditions, waiting too long can in many cases be fatal. Once you’ve identified a suitable candidate for the position you want to fill, don’t wait around before making a proposal.

# 3. The recruitment process is too long or disorganized

Along the same lines as the previous point, recruitment procedures that are too complex or unclear can discourage applicants. Indeed, they’ll be more inclined to choose companies offering them an improved candidate experience and simplified processes. If you want to increase your chances of having your job offer accepted, read our article “4 Ways to Improve the Candidate Experience” about this topic.

#4. The candidate has a bad impression of your company

A growing number of professionals report wanting to get more than just a salary from their work. Being able to identify with the culture of the company they work for, seeing their values reflected in the company’s mission and feeling like they are making a difference are aspects that are central to job satisfaction. In this sense, if a candidate feels that the fit between your company culture and their expectations is different, they are more likely to decline your offer. This is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, you want to hire someone who will fit in seamlessly into your work teams and adhere to your company’s approach.

On the other hand, if your company’s reputation systematically prevents you from recruiting promising talent, it might be time to review your employer brand.

#5. Your approach isn’t personalized

New talent doesn’t only represent a pool of actual or potential candidates. They are real people with their own ambitions, expectations and concerns. They should always be treated as such. This may seem obvious. And yet, in an article published by Boyden, an employee reports a frustrating recruiting process led by top recruiters from a top company.

The candidate mentions, among other things, that during the various rounds of interviews several recruiters asked him similar questions, that some had not inquired about his background and that few of them were able to answer his questions on the position or company. These multiple mistakes made him feel like he was just a number. The success of your recruitment lies in your ability to develop a relationship of trust with your candidates. Pay attention to details and treat them the way you would like to be treated. This advice is often repeated, but still too often ignored.

• Talent Acquisition