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As recruiters in such a competitive employment market we are hearing about more offers being turned down and candidates dropping out of the process. So we wanted to share 5 ways you can reduce the risk of wasting anyone’s time.

1. Don’t make a low ball offer in today’s market

Although this was a normal tactic in years past, this is no longer an ideal approach to securing a candidate. You are generally not only competing against other potential offers but also against their current employer. By making a low ball offer you open the door for someone else to easily come in and make the compensation aspect an easy decision. It is important to ask candidates what their expectations are on compensation throughout the process because it can change as they learn more about the role and company.

2. Understand what the candidate’s motivation is for interviewing with your company

There are so many reasons that a candidate could be interviewing with your company and those reasons will ultimately influence their final decision making process. Some candidates are shopping around to leverage conversations with their current employer but never intend to make a career change. Some candidates are looking to get out of a less than ideal employment culture. The sooner you can identify the various motivating factors the better informed your process and decisions will be.

3. Know what potential barriers may prevent the candidate from accepting an offer

This is a big one and I know many people are in the practice of asking about work authorization at this stage but it is always good to ask about potential barriers to making a move. We have heard of everything from specific company non-competes to a spouse who is unwilling to relocate to being in the process of securing a loan for housing. All of these issues ultimately resulted in turndowns that could have been avoided if this question had been asked earlier in the process.

4. Understand if the role makes career sense for the candidate

Rarely are people looking to make a lateral move in their career unless they have a good reason, which means most people are looking to advance their career and professional experience. Throughout the process you should be asking the candidate what they find interesting about the position, what they think would challenge them in the role and what they feel they could contribute on day one. If there is too much in the latter and not enough interest or challenge there may be a problem when it comes to the offer.

5. Have a clear interview process, stick to the timeline and communicate that timeline with candidates

I can’t tell you how many times candidates have become frustrated with the interview process because of the time investment and lack of clarity about what to expect. We find that communication more than anything can eliminate this issue all together. If a candidate knows up front what to expect, they can make a decision to proceed or not earlier and save everyone the headache later on. This will also show a level of respect for the candidate’s time and engagement in the interview process early on which is never a bad way to start a relationship.

Each situation is different and each company is different but that is why customized recruiting solutions can be beneficial in sourcing the RIGHT candidate to fit your needs. If you are interested in learning more about how The Q Works Group can support your hiring efforts please visit our website at www.qworksgroup.com.

Written by: Katie Trippe, The Q Works Group