Ways to stop potential job candidates from backing out

Candidates who pull a disappearing act are undesirable situations that Human Resources try to avoid, especially when the search was not a simple one-step process.

To understand the reasons why candidates would pull out of a job offer after signing, agency Robert Half did a survey and found out that the top reasons are that the person found a better package during the same period or received a counteroffer from his current employer.

Liken to the dating term, Ghosting, some candidates have gone the same route to avoid the perceived unpleasantness of informing the prospective company of a new offer.

To prevent the same scenario in your company, here are some ways from INC.com you can practice to stop such business disruptions:

Look out for wishy-washy signs

A candidate who is keen to commit will show by responding to your messages, confirming start dates and availability, and asking questions about the commencement of the job role.

If the person is showing a lack of interest and giving inaccurate answers to availability, this could be a sign that he is not 100% set on joining the company.

But, if the candidate is worth pursuing his skills or competence, Human Resource can reach out and initiate an honest conversation to understand his reasons. By being transparent, the company can sift out the applicant's concerns and address them accordingly.

After all, if the person is not keen on the role, he may still leave after joining for better job prospects.

Convince the candidate on your company's competitiveness

Is your company a start-up or a new business? A candidate may be wary of joining due to company branding and reputation.

With recruitment turning into a two-way street, it is not surprising companies have to sell their advantages to the candidates they wish to join the team.

Other than sharing about job roles, emphasizing the benefits and perks are also part of an attractive compensation package. Some employees may value work-life balance, gym memberships, flexible work arrangements, and more.

Develop a pre-orientation process

During the termination period, the potential new hire may be still on the lookout for other jobs. To curb that, Human Resource can create a pre-orientation process with simple updates on the team and company, and information on any sign-on perks.

However, as the person is still not an official member of the company, it is best not to give any access or password to him yet.

This information is to entice him and get excitement on starting work, and not to overwhelm him.

Other than focusing on the candidate, the company can also continue to hold on to the second-best person for the role and also search for more potential applicants.

It is always better to be prepared and have back up, then starting the whole hiring process again from scratch.