How to spot shaky candidates
Have you ever had that sinking feeling when a great candidate drops out last minute from a job offer or the final round of an interview?
As a recruiter, we are likely to get a host of interview no-shows and offer drop-outs in our career. As we go through the hiring process, we lose candidates, some sooner and others during the final stages.
Of course, you can’t always predict what could be going through someone’s mind, and when they could have a change of heart about an attractive offer. But, in my experience, there are some subtle signs that give away when a candidate is going to give up on a great offer.
In this post, I’ll share my views on how you can identify if you have a shaky candidate on your hands.
Who is a Shaky Candidate?
Before I start discussing how to spot shaky candidates, let me spend a few minutes to explain what I mean by shaky candidates. In your recruitment career, you are likely to get offer-dropouts and interview-no-shows every once in a while, and to a certain extent, they are inevitable.
The candidate could genuinely have a valid reason to not show up for an interview or reject an offer, if they have met with some emergency or unforeseen circumstances at that time.
However, shaky candidates are the ones who have decided to drop out during the final stages of interview and onboarding, simply because they are getting a better offer elsewhere.
These candidates are usually also high-caliber talent who are high in demand in the current job market. They have several opportunities within reach, and as they considered the one they were about to commit to, they felt it might not be the best choice for them.
A candidate can be shaky from the start, or they become uncertain later in the hiring process. So, it’s important to sense when your candidate is becoming uncertain about the opportunity, and how you can stop that from happening.
How to Spot Shaky Candidates:
First, let’s try to know why shaky candidates might opt out from the offer or the interview. Overall, there are 2 reasons for these candidates to drop a job offer later on:
- They are offer-trading
- They were genuinely interested, but changed their mind afterwards.
They are offer-trading:
Like I said, when it comes to high-demand talent with niche skills, opportunities chase them left, right and center. Aware of their value in the job market, some candidates might engage in “offer shopping” or “offer-trading”, wherein they show interest in different organizations even when they are not actually looking to switch jobs.
How do you spot an offer-trader?
Early signs can appear during the vetting process.
1. They quickly accept the offer. No questions asked:
We believe that there are 5 key factors that candidates take into consideration when assessing an employment opportunity that comes their way. These factors include: Brand, Role, Industry, Money, and People: BRIMP, for short.
If you come across a candidate who seems to be only fixated on the money and doesn’t show any curiosity about their role, the company, or the work environment, it’s a warning sign that they might back out later in the hiring process.
When a candidate blindly accepts the offer and makes their decision solely based on monetary benefits, it could also mean that they only plan to secure an offer and leverage it to better negotiate in other organizations.
2. Job Hopper Resume:
Employees are switching jobs more frequently than ever before. In today’s job market, switching companies in pursuit of better benefits and compensation is an acceptable career move.
However, it is also a sign that the candidate has a higher tendency to make a switch over a short period, most likely for a salary increase. If there are a lot of changes in the resume, that means you have to walk with extra caution.
2. They were genuinely interested, but changed their mind later on:
There are 2 major reasons why a candidate could drop-out from an offer they were genuinely excited about earlier:
- A competitor organization lured them with monetary benefits.
- They got a counter-offer from their current organization and decided to stay.
In this case, a candidate taking too long to respond or delay sharing their documents can be an ominous sign. So, what can you do?
Out of sight, out of mind.
Recruitment and onboarding can be a long process, and as each day goes by, the best candidates accept other attractive offers that come their way.
So, keep things moving and keep them engaged.
Pace up the hiring process:
You can ensure that as soon as you receive CVs, quickly set up the first interviews. Arrange second one without delay too, and make sure to give feedback to candidates promptly.
Make paperwork a priority:
The time between the verbal acceptance and dispact of paperwork can be a danger zone. If possible, turnaround paperwork the same day you confirm the offer verbally. That way you can reduce the chances of the candidate changing their mind and accepting counter offers.
Keep up the post-offer communication:
When you maintain regular emails and calls to update the candidate on the progress, it helps them stay positive and aligned during the process. Especially after their resignation meeting, be the supportive voice and maintain open communication during their notice period.
More tips to avoid Shaky Candidates :
Effectively communicate BRIMP to the candidate:
When you don’t communicate all the details about the opportunity you are selling, the candidate might feel conned or being pushed into an unknown territory, and might drop out later. So, ensure that you share the aforementioned 5 key factors to the candidate.
Build your personal network of candidates:
Building a personal network ensures that you are not just relying on popular sources like job portals and online ads that everyone has access to. You can build relationship with prospective candidates who are not currently looking for an opportunity, but later prove to be a valuable resource when you find the right opportunity for them.
If you’ve developed a rapport with the candidate and vetted the person adequately, a no-show or offer drop-out becomes a rare occurrence. Conduct a thorough screening process, be flexible with scheduling, and keep them engaged after they accept the offer. Your candidates would have a high chance of sticking with the opportunity.
