3 Reasons Candidates Withdraw After the Interview

Hiring, in the middle of a dozen other things that needed doing yesterday, can feel like a third job. You've got a team looking to you for direction, a sales meeting to prepare for, and that big IDN deal you just closed that now needs implementing. Where do interviewing and onboarding fit into a schedule already full of competing priorities? And how do you keep candidates engaged throughout the process?

With a strong recruiting partner and an equally strong employer brand, attracting talent shouldn't be the hard part. But as Jerry Seinfeld put it during a frustrating stop at a car rental desk: taking the reservation isn't the hard part, you have to keep the reservation.

Talent is no different. You have to hold on to it. So without further ado, here are the top three reasons candidates withdraw after the interview.

1. You aren't recruiting them

The skeptic says, "Recruiters recruit, hiring managers hire." Not quite. The most successful hiring managers make recruiting a top priority, and the way they run the process makes it clear to everyone watching, candidates included, that this hire matters. They block time for interviews in advance. They do their homework on the people they're about to meet. They take the time to understand each candidate's likely pain points before the interview. They treat the interview as a two-way street, and accept that the best people may not be begging to work for them, and that they may have to do some selling.

2. You aren't addressing their pain points

Unless you plan to hire only people who are out of work, you have to get inside the heads of the people you interview. Most will be employed, in good jobs, doing fairly well. Few people make a lateral move, and that isn't only about compensation. Know what your company genuinely offers that's different, what makes it attractive and how attainable it is. Then learn what each candidate's pain points are. Don't know? Ask your recruiter; they will. When you understand a candidate's pain, the interview can go somewhere new.

3. You aren't moving fast enough

The best people don't stay on the market long. They're usually being recruited by several companies at once. ERE, the talent acquisition publication, reports that the top 10% of talent is on the market for only about 10 days.

Listen to your recruiter. When they press you to start the process, or finish it, it's because they have strong candidates, and strong candidates won't wait weeks while you put out fires. Once you know you've found your person, remove anything that could create a bottleneck. Think ahead, and get the other people involved to block their time in advance, so the process runs smoothly from first interview to offer.

To see what an open seat is costing while you decide, try the Vacant Territory Calculator. There's more for hiring managers in Employer Resources.