潘金莲传媒映画

Nothing feels like a bigger gut punch than when a candidate reneges on an offer. I assume you’re like me and prefer to avoid that feeling at all costs. It’s about paying attention to little things that derail the recruitment process.

Battle Protracted Start Dates with Constant Communication
In several instances last year, I had candidates accept jobs with start dates farther than 30 days out. With two weeks being the average wait time, I get nervous when the timetable doubles or more.

Establish a plan with the candidate to communicate at least once per week during the interim period. Examples include:

• Text, email, phone, or set up a virtual “touch base” chat.
• Make personal inquiries. Ask a simple question like, “How are you feeling about the transition?” to develop a closer rapport and reveal issues that might give them reason to withdraw their acceptance.
• Discuss job-related topics like the pre-employment to-do list, their new hire training plan, and upcoming deadlines with key accounts (renewals, meetings, and presentations). The candidate will begin to envision themselves in your uniform, and it calms first day/first week jitters.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Tough Questions
A person is most likely to renege on an offer within the first week of accepting the job. This coincides with their resignation when their employer asks, “What can I do to make you stay?” Other companies also still reach out about opportunities unaware that the candidate has accepted another offer.

• Ask the candidate to call you after they resign. You can offer advice knowing various counteroffer strategies their current employer might use.
• Ask how their family and friends feel. If you sense someone isn’t fully supportive, especially if it’s a major impact like relocation, a spouse’s job change, children changing schools, and so forth, see what you can do to provide support and resources.
• Offer suggestions on how to officially conclude their search, such as deselecting the “Open to Opportunities” box on their LinkedIn profile, removing their r茅sum茅 from job board databases, and withdrawing from companies they have applied to or interviewed with.

Do Something Unexpected and Heartwarming
The candidate may have a strong emotional attachment to their current employer. It’s to your advantage to replace that connection by doing things that build trust and confidence. Little gestures like the following make a big impact.

• Send gifts, everything from a company swag bag to flowers, gift cards, Dinner-For-Two, etc. It feels good for candidates to receive gifts after going through a long, emotional, and sometimes difficult search process.
• Create camaraderie between the candidate and their colleagues. Have everyone on the team reach out with an email or LinkedIn message to introduce themselves, share a bit about who they are, and welcome them to the company.
• Organize opportunities to break bread together. Encourage their manager and new co-workers to schedule a coffee meeting. Arrange dinner for the new hire with the team plus their significant others.