So having gone through the recruitment process of finding, interviewing and deciding on offering a position to a successful candidate, it can be very frustrating to then have an offer rejected. It’s more common then ever these days in some industries with companies fighting over talent due to the on-going skills shortage. There are a number of reasons that your job offer letter may have been rejected and these include:
Reputation
Once a candidate has received a job offer they may undertake further research on the employer by ‘googling the business’ to try and find out more information on the organisation and its reputation. Social media is another platform candidates will look to for comments and reviews on company pages such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in and Instagram. For those businesses that use social media it’s not uncommon for them to receive a complaint or poor review from a dissatisfied customer or former member of staff, however it is how they deal with the dissatisfaction that candidates will look to.
High Staff Turnover
If your business has a high staff turnover, word soon gets out on the street and in particular within your industry where competitors will happily point out your shortfalls when it comes to hiring and retaining people. There is usually a very good reason why people leave the business in the first 12 months so you need to analyse why this is happening and address the matter, as most people rate job security as a key component when looking for new employment.
Candidates playing the field
It’s not uncommon for candidates to apply for numerous positions at the same time even if they have already been offered and some times accepted an offer. Again due to skill shortages, candidates will shop around and look for the best salary, benefits, working conditions, hours etc. If your business is getting job offers rejected on a regular basis then you perhaps need to revisit the offers you have made and compare them against those of your competitors.
Poor Interview
Interviews work both ways and whilst you may have been impressed with the candidate, they may not have felt the same about the company or the interviewer/s. It’s always important for interviewers to make a candidate feel comfortable and get across why your company is such an attractive prospect. The interview should be friendly and the personalty and characteristics of the business should shine through. Some of the qualities a candidate look for in a prospective employer include; stability, security, reliability, opportunities, involvement, strong core values, flexibility, culture, goals and integrity.
Time
Once a candidate has been interviewed they want to know as soon as possible if they have been successful or not. They don’t like being kept in the dark about the process. Too many employers conduct interviews and then expect the candidate to still be available more than two weeks after their initial meeting.
Good quality candidates often reject job offers as they get fed up of waiting to hear back from an employer, so always outline at the interview the selection process and where possible a time frame.
Environment
The first thing candidates look for when attending an interview is the surroundings and the people who work there. If your building is tired, dirty and all of your employees look fed up and quiet then this will not go unnoticed by the candidate. Compare this with a fresh modern work station with smiling happy faces and you can see the difference.
Salary and expectations
Another reason job offers get turned down is the salary and benefits package against what is expected of the new employee. Although the initial job advert states £XXX salary which gains the interest of the applicant, if the interview and subsequent job offer are unrealistic it will get turned down.
The key to offering at the right level is to make sure your salary is competitive, by having an understanding of the job roles in the market place and what is realistically expected. Try monitoring job adverts from organisations of a similar type or size to make sure you are competitive.
Even if you are simply re-filling a role following the departure of a member of staff, it is not a simple case of advertising the role at the existing salary. The job description and responsibilities for the replacement may be different, meaning you will have to conduct a review of the salary as well. Functioning ideas that can be necessary to you.
Poor communication
If a candidate was poorly prepared for an interview then they would not be successful and the same goes for an employer. It’s important that you answer any questions the candidate asks you in a clear and concise manner, leaving no element of doubt or uncertainty as they may think you are misleading or hiding something from them.