How to Handle Candidate Rejection Due to Office Location Preferences?

Hello everyone. I am working in a manufacturing company. One female candidate rejected our company because she said she didn't like the office area. Our office is in a highway-touch building with good amenities. She compared our area with her current manufacturing company's area, as her current office is located in that area.

My boss told me she wasted your time. You should understand it first. Please tell me how to deal with this situation.

Dear Aruna,

Gone are the days when candidates readily accepted the conditions of employment. Today, candidates are demanding, and the work environment matters to them. If a candidate turns down a job offer because she does not like the office area of your company, your company should take it as feedback, as it shows how the expectations of the candidates have risen.

I wish you had probed further and asked the candidate what exactly she did not like. Did she mean the office area within the company premises or the locality in which your company is located? This probing would have helped you assess whether the reason given was authentic or if this was just an alibi to decline the job offer.

Quality of Security and Front Office Personnel

How is the quality of the security personnel or front office personnel? Does the lobby give a professional appearance?

Office and Operations Area

Is the office area separated from the operations area? Is one required to wade through the humdrum of the operations to go to the office? Even if one is required to pass through the operations area, how is the quality of the people working in the operations? Do they wear uniforms? While interacting among themselves, do they follow business etiquette, or do they demonstrate an uncouth side of their personality? Does the operations area appear organized, or are things haphazard there?

There are so many questions associated with your post. As I stated earlier, you had delved deeper into the reasons for turning down the job offer. You can still do so now.

As far as your boss's views on the declining reasons for a job offer are concerned, they are not surprising. Day in and day out, they are habituated to hearing "yes" from everyone. Therefore, if some outsider says "no" to them, and that too a job candidate, it is obvious for them to be dismissive.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear NK Sundaram Sir,

To turn down a job offer, candidates have several options. They can say they have received a better opportunity, or some individuals simply stop responding. However, the job candidate in this case was honest and direct in declining the offer. Should we interpret the candidate's directness as a negative attitude?

The originator of the post is from Pune, so the candidate should be from there as well. People from Maharashtra, in general, and Marathis, in particular, are known for not mincing their words.

As a veteran in the field of training, you are well aware that people have different personalities, likes, dislikes, attitudes, etc. Additionally, the acceptance of a job offer depends on the candidate's pressing needs. Therefore, when someone declines to work for a particular company, as mentioned in my previous post, the company's authorities should seek feedback from the candidate and try to understand the reasons for declining the offer. The straightforward denial provides an opportunity to take corrective measures for improvement.

In a nutshell, I would like to shift the locus of control from external to internal.

While writing the above, I would like to highlight that ours is a professional disagreement and it does not connote disrespect to you in any way. Disagreements can happen within the framework of respect as well.

Regards,

Dinesh Divekar

I am not surprised. I don't know what the area of your office looked like. I have no comments on that. But when an unwilling recruit cites such a reason for not joining your firm, it's right for you to sincerely investigate what exactly prompted her refusal to join. I can't say she had better prospects on hand. Probably, she gave you a lame excuse. I am sure you are perturbed by her observation and maybe even felt insulted.

Why don't you look into your environment and ambiance with a view to see if there is any room for improvement? Take it positively, as a prompt to remove anything that gives an unimpressive look. And don't curse yourself since it's not your fault. Forget it and move ahead.

Hi, it is just feedback from one candidate, which may or may not be genuine. I hope you didn't receive the same feedback from the majority of the candidates who attended the interview, right? Instead of conducting research and development, just ignore it and keep moving forward. It is not very clear what the candidate meant by "office area." Is it the office's locality or the office premises? In either case, just because one candidate didn't like it, you can't shift the office to another area or do new interior decoration at the current premises!

Unlike in the old days, candidates now have more options in terms of employment opportunities. With multiple offers in hand, they tend to prolong the decision until the last minute, evaluating the offers based on monetary aspects, travel time from home, etc.

If you offer an unrealistic salary hike, the same candidate might accept to work in a small shed as well.