As many as 69 percent of potential employees will reject a job offer if they learn that a company’s workforce is generally unhappy. This can include feelings of stress, being unappreciated, not having a voice, or a lack of job satisfaction.
Many employees will have applied for several jobs at once, so it’s not uncommon to receive some rejections. But what happens when all your top applicants reject your job offers?
Although there are many reasons why your company may be missing out on its most desired applicants, we’re going to focus on the top reasons. So, to discover more, just keep reading!
The Interview Experience
Employees aren’t the only ones who need to worry about making a good first impression during an interview. One of the big reasons that candidates say no, is that the interview process made them lose confidence in the company.
For example, if the interview felt rushed, poorly handled, or unprofessional, the interviewee may feel like the role isn’t important or they aren’t being taken seriously as a candidate. The hiring process is a chance to sell potential employees on the benefits of working for your company.
One thing that can help with hiring is online interviews, especially during the pandemic. Video interviewing is used by 60 percent of HR managers and is around 6x faster than the standard interview format.
Better Offers
Potential employees are unlikely to have only applied for only one job. So, while they wait for your response, they’ll be looking at other options, attending other interviews, and moving further away from your company.
Delaying an offer in search of better candidates is a common practice, especially within tech companies as the talent pool can be so varied. But delaying too long is unlikely to get potential employees to say yes. Especially when you consider that only 29 percent of new hires have the skills needed for their current roles.
Candidates must be aware of your hiring process and the timeframe involved. If your company takes longer than most to hire employees, you should make them aware of this from the start.
But there are many other reasons why an employee will accept an offer elsewhere. For example, competitive wages, better job perks, and a more suitable location. You need to research what competitor companies are offering new staff.
Unhappy Staff
Remember that 69% of employees will turn down a job offer if they discover that a company’s workforce isn’t happy. And if you’re hiring more and more staff to fill the gaps left behind by leavers, then you may need to focus on ways to improve employee retention.
Online platforms that allow previous and current employees to rate and comment on their experience with employers are increasing in popularity. As such, potential employees can easily check how satisfied your current employees are.
Nobody wants to work for a company where everybody feels miserable, neglected, or unsafe.
If the only main difference between a candidate’s options is that one company has a happy workforce and the other doesn’t, which are they likely to choose?
Work-Life Balance
Many employers take for granted how important the work-life balance is to job candidates. Candidates turning down your offers can be a sign that your hiring process makes it clear to them that juggling life and work will be increasingly difficult within your company.
How many holiday days do staff get and how easy is it to book time off? Will employees have set working hours or is there flexibility? Do you offer benefits that extend to family members rather than just the individual?
Candidates might have families, hobbies, sports, or volunteer roles that feel is more important to them than any job. If they feel like they must sacrifice one for the other, you may have more and more candidates telling you no.
Focus on what YOU can offer that will make the candidate’s work-life balance feel more evenly split. Consider adjusting your hiring strategy to emphasize this.
Little Room for Career Advancement
Many potential employees are thinking several steps ahead. They are more interested in the job that follows than the job you’re currently offering. How will saying yes to your company help them achieve their career ambitions?
Need one good way to get potential employees to say yes? Emphasize the ways your company can help develop their career. This is particularly important if you want to catch an IT professional.
For example, do you offer additional training opportunities? Do you hire internally for non-entry level positions? What can you do for the candidate’s career progression that makes your company stand out from the rest?
Narrow Down the Search
Finally, you should consider creating a funnel for candidates to limit the number that can apply. Ensure that the information about your company and the position is clear, informative, and specific. The last thing you want is employees backing out last minute because something wasn’t made clear to them.
You can also make use of screening tests to ensure that candidates making it to the final stages have the basic skills necessary. Plus, candidates who aren’t serious about the role won’t waste time completing tests, even those as short as 10 to 15 minutes.
What’s Next?
Learning how to get potential employees to say yes isn’t a simple task, but we’ve covered some of the main reasons candidates say no in the first place. Learn to sell what your company has to offer, and remember that employees want to feel happy, appreciated, and able to progress.
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