There is nothing more frustrating than going through the recruitment process, thinking you have found a solution to your staffing needs and then at the last hurdle having your preferred applicant not accept the offer, withdraw their application or worse still – start the job and leave within a few months. In hindsight, you are frustrated but confused – they applied for the role, attended the interview and appeared interested throughout the process- surely they were really keen on the role right? Wrong! Many job seekers attend interviews and in some cases even accept roles that they simply aren’t that interested in. Sometimes it’s out of desperation because they are out of work, sometimes it’s being lured by the money, and sometimes they see it as a stepping stone to get them out of their current role or closer to their preferred one. Whatever the reason, if they aren’t that interested, they either won’t take the role or won’t stick it out long – either way it’s wasting your time and can be a costly exercise!! Here’s a few ways to avoid this trap:
- Before telling them all the details about the position, ask about their ideal role. While many applicants will of course be very happy in a role which differs to some degree from their ideal, the further the duties and values of the role from their ideal, the less likely they are to stick it out
- Ask them openly at the interview about what other roles they are applying for, where they are at in the application, the sorts of companies they have been applying with and how long they have been looking for work. These questions will all give you an indication as to how committed they are to finding alternate work and how their other applications fit against your role, and in comparison to their ideal position.
- Once the role is offered, how long are they taking to make a decision? Anything longer than 24 hours definitely rings alarm bells in my mind. The longer the decision is taking, the more chance it’s not a match made in heaven! Typically, a longer decision making process indicates more than one role being on the table, a candidate waiting for another business to make its decision (in their mind a better offer) or some uncertainty in the candidates mind about their interest in your role.
- Once offered, has the resignation been immediate and the contract been returned ASAP? If not, the same risks as those above typically apply. In addition, the delay in resignation being confirmed or contract being signed also highlights the risk of a counter offer – and the longer the candidate considers this, the more likely it is they are not 100% committed to your role.
- Do their core values, ethics and beliefs mirror those of the organisation? The trick here is how to know and the first step is to understand your internal culture and the company values. Getting these understood allows comparison against the candidates’ values and motivations which you ascertain via quality questioning of the candidate at interview, potentially in combination with psychometric and aptitude assessments.
- What sort of questions, if any, have they asked you before, during and after the interview? If they have asked appropriate, meaningful and well thought out questions about the company, the role, the team, the structure and future opportunities, it indicates that they are picturing themselves with the organisation and really thinking about the suitability of the position for them, their career and long term goals.
Above all else, use your common sense – if something doesn’t add up, it’s probably for good reason. Without asking questions, you won’t know the answers, so don’t assume anything. Peoples focus, direction and motivation change throughout their career – so what might seem like a strange move to some, might be perfectly planned for long term success. Provided the questions don’t put you at risk of being discriminatory, it’s better to ask lots of questions in the interview and selection stage, then it is to find yourself having to start the recruitment process again.
