Hi,
I am working as a Recruitment Consultant in Baroda. Over the last 6 months, I have been facing a major issue where out of 10 selected candidates, 3 are not joining the company after accepting the offer. Can anybody suggest how to avoid this type of inconvenience?
Regards,
Ritesh
Email: chudasama.ritesh@gmail.com
From India, Vadodara
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3I am working as a Recruitment Consultant in Baroda. Over the last 6 months, I have been facing a major issue where out of 10 selected candidates, 3 are not joining the company after accepting the offer. Can anybody suggest how to avoid this type of inconvenience?
Regards,
Ritesh
Email: chudasama.ritesh@gmail.com
From India, Vadodara
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Hi Ritesh,
Do not worry. The problem you are facing is very common in the recruitment industry, but you need to understand the candidate's attitude during the first phone conversation.
Try to probe the candidate further by asking whether they have any alternative offers, the CTC offer, the joining date, intentions of changing jobs, and also analyze their responsiveness towards interviews and feedback. Depending on these criteria, I think you should be able to judge a candidate.
All the very best.
Goodbye,
Suma Dinesh
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Do not worry. The problem you are facing is very common in the recruitment industry, but you need to understand the candidate's attitude during the first phone conversation.
Try to probe the candidate further by asking whether they have any alternative offers, the CTC offer, the joining date, intentions of changing jobs, and also analyze their responsiveness towards interviews and feedback. Depending on these criteria, I think you should be able to judge a candidate.
All the very best.
Goodbye,
Suma Dinesh
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Hi Ritesh,
As Suma said, this is a common problem in the recruitment industry. Suma's suggestion will definitely be useful for you. However, at the same time, you also need to understand why you are not able to sell the company (your client) to the candidate. If you change the pitch you are using for the candidates, you might be successful in attracting them either to your company or to your client.
When recruiting, you must remember that it's not only the company that is looking for a good candidate; candidates also look for a 'good' company, though 'good' is a subjective term here. Understand what the candidate is looking for. Is he a suitable match for the vacant position? After all, post-recruitment, the candidate and the company both will have to move together in the same direction.
All the best for your recruitment career.
Regards,
Jaya :)
From India, Delhi
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As Suma said, this is a common problem in the recruitment industry. Suma's suggestion will definitely be useful for you. However, at the same time, you also need to understand why you are not able to sell the company (your client) to the candidate. If you change the pitch you are using for the candidates, you might be successful in attracting them either to your company or to your client.
When recruiting, you must remember that it's not only the company that is looking for a good candidate; candidates also look for a 'good' company, though 'good' is a subjective term here. Understand what the candidate is looking for. Is he a suitable match for the vacant position? After all, post-recruitment, the candidate and the company both will have to move together in the same direction.
All the best for your recruitment career.
Regards,
Jaya :)
From India, Delhi
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Hi. I once faced similar problems, and I understand how grave your problem is. An offer rejection will surely affect your performance.
As far as my knowledge goes, along with the usual things used to determine the attitude of the candidate, it is essential to build a very good rapport with the candidate and casually ask him what exactly he is looking for. Try to coax him/her with other lucrative offers which don't really exist. If he is the kind of candidate who is ready to jump companies for just a little increase in compensation, then that candidate is very likely to quit or make a deal with his current boss for a salary hike.
Secondly, you need to keep in constant touch with the candidate to ensure that he is going to join. If any day the candidate is sarcastic, then you can probably delay in presenting the offer letter. Hope this solves your problem. Don't lose hope; it's all a part of being a recruiter.
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As far as my knowledge goes, along with the usual things used to determine the attitude of the candidate, it is essential to build a very good rapport with the candidate and casually ask him what exactly he is looking for. Try to coax him/her with other lucrative offers which don't really exist. If he is the kind of candidate who is ready to jump companies for just a little increase in compensation, then that candidate is very likely to quit or make a deal with his current boss for a salary hike.
Secondly, you need to keep in constant touch with the candidate to ensure that he is going to join. If any day the candidate is sarcastic, then you can probably delay in presenting the offer letter. Hope this solves your problem. Don't lose hope; it's all a part of being a recruiter.
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Hi Ritesh,
Further to add to the points elicited by our mates, please just look at the following ideas:
This common problem occurs with some candidates also due to the scarce information they have about the client companies.
1. It is important that as a consulting company, we may assume responsibility to communicate the credentials of our client companies to our candidates. To do this, first, we need to be more familiar with the ongoing improvements/happenings with the clients. Perhaps we can request them to gain access to their news bulletin or seek their help in how best you can market your client's profile to the candidates.
2. The credentials of the company may be CMM level, awarded "The Best Employer for consecutive years by some IT associations like NASSCOM," and the attractive benefits of the client companies, etc. (few clients don't entertain the consulting companies in these, but depending upon your client norms, you can try this).
3. This can also be dealt with by taking the help of your client companies. Bring to their notice the barriers faced in losing candidates, reasons collected by the candidates as to why they decline the offers, etc. Also, you can always make your analysis, share it with your team/management before discussing with the client.
4. If there is a consecutive loss of candidates due to monetary factors ALONE, please collect the relevant facts on the same and present them to your clients. This may help in supporting your client with the appropriate facts and can leave room to check if they are also on par with the market. But not with one or two instances; this can be arrived, but has to be more reporting incidents like the same. Leave it open to the client for they may be the best in arriving at necessary alternatives. Please be careful enough not to make your OWN assumptions reach the client.
Please let me know if the above thoughts may work!
I do really value the suggestions from others/SENIORS/EXPERTS to share better ideas.
Best Regards,
Uma.M
From India, Madras
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Further to add to the points elicited by our mates, please just look at the following ideas:
This common problem occurs with some candidates also due to the scarce information they have about the client companies.
1. It is important that as a consulting company, we may assume responsibility to communicate the credentials of our client companies to our candidates. To do this, first, we need to be more familiar with the ongoing improvements/happenings with the clients. Perhaps we can request them to gain access to their news bulletin or seek their help in how best you can market your client's profile to the candidates.
2. The credentials of the company may be CMM level, awarded "The Best Employer for consecutive years by some IT associations like NASSCOM," and the attractive benefits of the client companies, etc. (few clients don't entertain the consulting companies in these, but depending upon your client norms, you can try this).
3. This can also be dealt with by taking the help of your client companies. Bring to their notice the barriers faced in losing candidates, reasons collected by the candidates as to why they decline the offers, etc. Also, you can always make your analysis, share it with your team/management before discussing with the client.
4. If there is a consecutive loss of candidates due to monetary factors ALONE, please collect the relevant facts on the same and present them to your clients. This may help in supporting your client with the appropriate facts and can leave room to check if they are also on par with the market. But not with one or two instances; this can be arrived, but has to be more reporting incidents like the same. Leave it open to the client for they may be the best in arriving at necessary alternatives. Please be careful enough not to make your OWN assumptions reach the client.
Please let me know if the above thoughts may work!
I do really value the suggestions from others/SENIORS/EXPERTS to share better ideas.
Best Regards,
Uma.M
From India, Madras
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hi All,
The information is very useful. I am working as a recruiter and facing a very typical problem: candidates refuse to join or leave the organization within a week or so. Most of the time, it is difficult to convince the candidates to join a medium-sized or small organization, even if the salary offered is on par with bigger organizations. Can anyone please help me with how to overcome this problem? You can email me at vividhayadav@ijpcs.com.
Regards,
Vividha.
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
The information is very useful. I am working as a recruiter and facing a very typical problem: candidates refuse to join or leave the organization within a week or so. Most of the time, it is difficult to convince the candidates to join a medium-sized or small organization, even if the salary offered is on par with bigger organizations. Can anyone please help me with how to overcome this problem? You can email me at vividhayadav@ijpcs.com.
Regards,
Vividha.
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hi all,
Interesting points on how to improve the acceptance rate of the employment offers made. Take out some time to read at least once.
Why Candidates Reject Offers
(and how to put a stop to it)
Managers and recruiters are too tolerant when a candidate rejects an offer. It's typical for managers to blame the recruiter, the compensation department, the candidate, or to just be accepting of the fact that "things happen."
Rather than accepting the "inevitable," it's important to instead study each rejection scientifically in order to identify the real reasons why offers are rejected. Even though acceptance rates naturally go up as the economy goes down, it's important for managers and recruiters to remain vigilant for average applicants (there is less change for top performers and key jobs), because the cost of a rejection in a key position can easily exceed $10,000. Great recruiters have offer acceptance rates of over 95%, and that's no accident when the average rate is often below 70%.
This article explores why offers are rejected and how to improve your acceptance rate.
The science of "the offer"
Most managers and recruiters look at the recruiting process as an art. That approach guarantees a low success rate -- because putting together and making a great offer is really a science. By doing your research and collecting data, you can dramatically improve the content of each offer you make.
It takes more than improving the actual offer letter itself to get the highest acceptance rates. It takes looking at the whole interview and selection process as a customer relationship management (CRM) problem. Once you realize that this is really a sales issue, and that successfully making an offer and selling a customer are similar processes, you'll see that you are merely trying to sell a customer (candidate) and trying to "close the deal" with a "yes."
Just like in sales, it requires a combined customer service and sales approach. Every other approach is just guesswork!
Steps you can take to find out why your firm's offers are rejected
There are a number of approaches to investigating why offers are rejected. Remember, there is substantial evidence to show that what top performers look for in a job is significantly different than what average performers look for, so be sure to "segment" your data collection between the two. "Reason-finding" tools and techniques include:
1. Ask new hires what worked.
On their first day of the job, ask new hires which specific elements of their offer
a) were the most compelling,
b) had no impact, and
c) almost caused them to reject the offer.
Use this data to redesign the content of your offers to better fit their needs and expectations.
2. Capture offer letters.
Ask new hires on their first day for copies of the offer letters that they have received from other companies. Give them a small reward for complying, and use these offers to see where your packages are strong or weak.
3. Post-reject surveys.
Most candidates, when they reject an offer, tell you "it was the money." It's a great excuse because it generally absolves managers and recruiters of all blame. Unfortunately, it's generally not factually true; it's just an effective excuse. If you really want to find out why candidates reject your offers, ask them three or six months later why they turned you down. There are several market research firms that will do this for you, and the results, almost universally, show that it was not "the money."
4. Call the executive search firm.
If the candidate is referred by an executive search person, an informal call to them after the rejection will often get you the "real reason." (Occasionally, prior to the offer, they will also know the general expectations of the candidate.)
Remember, also identify why "future applicants" might reject offers:
5. Focus groups.
Conduct focus groups at trade shows or industry events to identify why most people reject offers. Remember to also look at the positive criteria and ask candidates the question, "What are your job acceptance criteria?"
6. Utilize the research of others.
Identifying what excites employees in a job is not difficult. Research by the Gallup organization, McKinsey, and Watson Wyatt have all identified a series of on-the-job factors that excite both applicants and employees. Almost all of these "satisfaction factors" are controlled exclusively by the line manager. Seventy-five to eighty-five percent of the reasons that make offers and jobs compelling are controlled directly by the supervising manager. Common satisfaction factors include two-way communication, growth and learning, flexibility and control on what they work on, whom they work with, and when and where the work is done. As a result, it is important to make it clear to the candidate both within the offer letter and during the selection process how they will be managed if they accept.
What to ask them
Ask them to force-rank what they want "more of/less of" from their current (or next) job.
Ask them to describe their dream job (in terms of location, co-workers, projects, boss, work environment, etc.). Consider asking them to draft "their own offer."
Ask them to describe their job from hell (so you can avoid those factors). It's important to ask them to weight the factors because each does not play an equal role.
Next week, in Part 2: a list of the actual reasons why offers are rejected and how to improve your offers.
How To Improve Your Candidate Offers
Part 2
The top reasons why candidates reject offers? If you do an in-depth study of rejections, you will find some interesting things.
It might surprise you that the number one reason why people reject job offers is not because of the content of the offer. Instead, it is because of the poor way applicants were treated during the screening and selection process. Canceled or postponed interviews, dull interviews with repeat questions, and delayed hiring decisions send a negative message to candidates with choices. It's easy for these candidates to make the obvious connection between the way they are treated as applicants and how they will undoubtedly be treated after they are hired.
The number two reason why people reject an offer is that their colleagues and friends advised them not to work there. Yes, applicants get advice before they accept or reject offers. You can help combat any negative advice by improving your reference phone calls. Many candidates, as it turns out, ask one or more of their job references for advice on whether to accept or not. So rather than just asking references about the candidate when you call, be sure to "sell" each reference on your company and the opportunity. By exciting the references, you improve the chances that the references will give positive advice if they are asked by the candidate about your firm's offer.
In a broader sense, you can avoid most negative offer acceptance advice by being listed on the various "great places to work" lists, by being written about in industry publications, and, in general, by building your great-place-to-work brand. Having a strong employee referral program can also increase your image in the community/industry as a result of legions of aggressive employees continually telling friends why your firm is so great.
OTHER REASONS WHY OFFERS ARE REJECTED
THE OFFER ITSELF WAS NOT COMPELLING
In other words, the offer was off-target (it didn't meet this candidate's acceptance criteria), it was bland, or it contained no "wows." Managers need to realize that candidates need exciting elements in their job offer so that they can "brag" about them to their friends and family.
THE OFFER PROCESS ITSELF WAS NOT EXCITING
The offer was delivered in an unconvincing or impersonal manner. Failures can occur when a senior executive did not follow up the written letter with a call, or when the call itself wasn't passionate. Smart managers "script" and pretest these calls to ensure that they are compelling and passionate.
DEAL BREAKERS OCCURRED
The offer included "deal-breaker" elements, which caused the candidate to reject the offer immediately. To avoid this problem, potential "turn-off" factors must be identified and avoided at all costs. Deal-breakers are often negative elements that already exist in the candidate's current job (negatives that they obviously do not wish to repeat). Smart managers identify any deal-breakers and candidate questions well in advance of the offer letter.
THE LETTER FORMAT
Another reason why offers are rejected is the form and format of the offer letter itself. Letters that are overly legalistic (with a lot of fine print) are turnoffs. Also, letters that leave out key promises that were verbally discussed will invariably frustrate the candidate.
OVER-FOCUS ON PAY
A major error made by managers is focusing on the money. The money is important, of course -- but the non-monetary issues are much more important (as much as 85% of the decision is non-monetary).
PAY CUTS
A lowball offer, where the money offered (given the cost of living) is the same or below what they are currently making, will often be automatically rejected and considered as an insult. For candidates with multiple offers, it is generally also an insult if you offer 10% below what other competing firms have offered the candidate.
WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR OFFERS
It's important to realize that developing great offers is really just a market research problem. If you view the process as one where the applicant is making a "purchase decision," using a process that is little different than any other major family decision (like buying a house or a car), you can learn to treat the process as a sales problem and study how big-ticket items are successfully sold. You will then be well on your way toward offer success.
It's really quite simple. Identify their decision criteria, weigh them, and then try to meet as many of the highly ranked ones as possible in your offer. In addition, to avoid the offer "reject" reasons listed above, managers and recruiters need to keep the following points
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Interesting points on how to improve the acceptance rate of the employment offers made. Take out some time to read at least once.
Why Candidates Reject Offers
(and how to put a stop to it)
Managers and recruiters are too tolerant when a candidate rejects an offer. It's typical for managers to blame the recruiter, the compensation department, the candidate, or to just be accepting of the fact that "things happen."
Rather than accepting the "inevitable," it's important to instead study each rejection scientifically in order to identify the real reasons why offers are rejected. Even though acceptance rates naturally go up as the economy goes down, it's important for managers and recruiters to remain vigilant for average applicants (there is less change for top performers and key jobs), because the cost of a rejection in a key position can easily exceed $10,000. Great recruiters have offer acceptance rates of over 95%, and that's no accident when the average rate is often below 70%.
This article explores why offers are rejected and how to improve your acceptance rate.
The science of "the offer"
Most managers and recruiters look at the recruiting process as an art. That approach guarantees a low success rate -- because putting together and making a great offer is really a science. By doing your research and collecting data, you can dramatically improve the content of each offer you make.
It takes more than improving the actual offer letter itself to get the highest acceptance rates. It takes looking at the whole interview and selection process as a customer relationship management (CRM) problem. Once you realize that this is really a sales issue, and that successfully making an offer and selling a customer are similar processes, you'll see that you are merely trying to sell a customer (candidate) and trying to "close the deal" with a "yes."
Just like in sales, it requires a combined customer service and sales approach. Every other approach is just guesswork!
Steps you can take to find out why your firm's offers are rejected
There are a number of approaches to investigating why offers are rejected. Remember, there is substantial evidence to show that what top performers look for in a job is significantly different than what average performers look for, so be sure to "segment" your data collection between the two. "Reason-finding" tools and techniques include:
1. Ask new hires what worked.
On their first day of the job, ask new hires which specific elements of their offer
a) were the most compelling,
b) had no impact, and
c) almost caused them to reject the offer.
Use this data to redesign the content of your offers to better fit their needs and expectations.
2. Capture offer letters.
Ask new hires on their first day for copies of the offer letters that they have received from other companies. Give them a small reward for complying, and use these offers to see where your packages are strong or weak.
3. Post-reject surveys.
Most candidates, when they reject an offer, tell you "it was the money." It's a great excuse because it generally absolves managers and recruiters of all blame. Unfortunately, it's generally not factually true; it's just an effective excuse. If you really want to find out why candidates reject your offers, ask them three or six months later why they turned you down. There are several market research firms that will do this for you, and the results, almost universally, show that it was not "the money."
4. Call the executive search firm.
If the candidate is referred by an executive search person, an informal call to them after the rejection will often get you the "real reason." (Occasionally, prior to the offer, they will also know the general expectations of the candidate.)
Remember, also identify why "future applicants" might reject offers:
5. Focus groups.
Conduct focus groups at trade shows or industry events to identify why most people reject offers. Remember to also look at the positive criteria and ask candidates the question, "What are your job acceptance criteria?"
6. Utilize the research of others.
Identifying what excites employees in a job is not difficult. Research by the Gallup organization, McKinsey, and Watson Wyatt have all identified a series of on-the-job factors that excite both applicants and employees. Almost all of these "satisfaction factors" are controlled exclusively by the line manager. Seventy-five to eighty-five percent of the reasons that make offers and jobs compelling are controlled directly by the supervising manager. Common satisfaction factors include two-way communication, growth and learning, flexibility and control on what they work on, whom they work with, and when and where the work is done. As a result, it is important to make it clear to the candidate both within the offer letter and during the selection process how they will be managed if they accept.
What to ask them
Ask them to force-rank what they want "more of/less of" from their current (or next) job.
Ask them to describe their dream job (in terms of location, co-workers, projects, boss, work environment, etc.). Consider asking them to draft "their own offer."
Ask them to describe their job from hell (so you can avoid those factors). It's important to ask them to weight the factors because each does not play an equal role.
Next week, in Part 2: a list of the actual reasons why offers are rejected and how to improve your offers.
How To Improve Your Candidate Offers
Part 2
The top reasons why candidates reject offers? If you do an in-depth study of rejections, you will find some interesting things.
It might surprise you that the number one reason why people reject job offers is not because of the content of the offer. Instead, it is because of the poor way applicants were treated during the screening and selection process. Canceled or postponed interviews, dull interviews with repeat questions, and delayed hiring decisions send a negative message to candidates with choices. It's easy for these candidates to make the obvious connection between the way they are treated as applicants and how they will undoubtedly be treated after they are hired.
The number two reason why people reject an offer is that their colleagues and friends advised them not to work there. Yes, applicants get advice before they accept or reject offers. You can help combat any negative advice by improving your reference phone calls. Many candidates, as it turns out, ask one or more of their job references for advice on whether to accept or not. So rather than just asking references about the candidate when you call, be sure to "sell" each reference on your company and the opportunity. By exciting the references, you improve the chances that the references will give positive advice if they are asked by the candidate about your firm's offer.
In a broader sense, you can avoid most negative offer acceptance advice by being listed on the various "great places to work" lists, by being written about in industry publications, and, in general, by building your great-place-to-work brand. Having a strong employee referral program can also increase your image in the community/industry as a result of legions of aggressive employees continually telling friends why your firm is so great.
OTHER REASONS WHY OFFERS ARE REJECTED
THE OFFER ITSELF WAS NOT COMPELLING
In other words, the offer was off-target (it didn't meet this candidate's acceptance criteria), it was bland, or it contained no "wows." Managers need to realize that candidates need exciting elements in their job offer so that they can "brag" about them to their friends and family.
THE OFFER PROCESS ITSELF WAS NOT EXCITING
The offer was delivered in an unconvincing or impersonal manner. Failures can occur when a senior executive did not follow up the written letter with a call, or when the call itself wasn't passionate. Smart managers "script" and pretest these calls to ensure that they are compelling and passionate.
DEAL BREAKERS OCCURRED
The offer included "deal-breaker" elements, which caused the candidate to reject the offer immediately. To avoid this problem, potential "turn-off" factors must be identified and avoided at all costs. Deal-breakers are often negative elements that already exist in the candidate's current job (negatives that they obviously do not wish to repeat). Smart managers identify any deal-breakers and candidate questions well in advance of the offer letter.
THE LETTER FORMAT
Another reason why offers are rejected is the form and format of the offer letter itself. Letters that are overly legalistic (with a lot of fine print) are turnoffs. Also, letters that leave out key promises that were verbally discussed will invariably frustrate the candidate.
OVER-FOCUS ON PAY
A major error made by managers is focusing on the money. The money is important, of course -- but the non-monetary issues are much more important (as much as 85% of the decision is non-monetary).
PAY CUTS
A lowball offer, where the money offered (given the cost of living) is the same or below what they are currently making, will often be automatically rejected and considered as an insult. For candidates with multiple offers, it is generally also an insult if you offer 10% below what other competing firms have offered the candidate.
WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR OFFERS
It's important to realize that developing great offers is really just a market research problem. If you view the process as one where the applicant is making a "purchase decision," using a process that is little different than any other major family decision (like buying a house or a car), you can learn to treat the process as a sales problem and study how big-ticket items are successfully sold. You will then be well on your way toward offer success.
It's really quite simple. Identify their decision criteria, weigh them, and then try to meet as many of the highly ranked ones as possible in your offer. In addition, to avoid the offer "reject" reasons listed above, managers and recruiters need to keep the following points
From India, Bangalore
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The problem that you are facing is very common in the IT market. Most of the candidates who come from fake companies are facing these kinds of issues. First of all, we have to interact with the candidate who is interested in joining our company and collect all the information about their previous employment experience. We need to understand what they are looking for, and we should not expect them to answer every question. We have to check their confidentiality level and should not blindly promise an offer by the weekend. We must ensure when they can join our team, and accordingly proceed with the process.
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