It’s bad enough when your top choice turns you down. But when your second and third choice also say “no”…that’s crushing.
Often it’s the way they’ve been approached or ‘headhunted’. All the below are indicators this might be the case.
- ‘Fishing Trips’ that go nowhere – Sometimes, you might start wondering if they only turned up to gather ‘insider information’. They won’t tell you anything about themselves.
- Candidates with the wrong attitude – There’s a lot to be said for confidence but if it’s taken too far you may start to wonder why they deigned to meet with you in the first place!
- Salary expectations become unrealistic – You understand you have to pay for the best, but some salary demands are just impossible to justify.
- Candidates drop out at the last minute – There’s nothing worse than going to the end of the recruitment process only to find out you have to begin again.
What's Going Wrong?
There’s three main reasons:
A Poor or Lazy Selection of Candidates to Approach
The same few people – not necessarily the best people – keep getting approached. Naturally, this also drives up the demands of the few candidates everyone is fighting for – regardless of their quality. We cover this more here. (Headhunter’s Shortlist Disappointing?)
The Wrong Headhunting Approach.
The recruiter knows if there are not enough people on the shortlist, they will face tough questions. They may even lose the business.
This can result in serious ‘compromises’ made to draw up the shortlist. Sometimes this can mean using techniques that will actually make it harder for you to make a successful offer:
Warning Signs Are Ignored – Candidates often say things that make it obvious they would not accept the role even if it were offered. This should be discussed with you immediately to see if you can structure your offer. A desperate or lazy headhunter won’t risk losing the interview slot.
The Role Is Over-Sold – Sometimes, in their ‘enthusiasm’, recruiters give a false impression of the role. This may get someone to the interview, but the feeling of being manipulated all but guarantees they won’t take the role.
The Flattery Approach – The candidate may enjoy the positive attention so much, that they don’t want it to stop! Until they have to sign a contract…
Too Much Sales Equals Desperation – This absolutely begs the candidate to put in outrageous demands – almost to see what happens.
What Can You Do?
Take Control Before They Speak to Potential Candidates
The priority is to ensure they source the right people, approach them correctly and don’t get pressured into wrong decisions.
- Get an Idea of the longlist – who they intend to approach and why.
- Ensure they understand what benefits your role can offer their longlist.
- Ask for their ‘Plan B’ should things not work out.
Our 'In-Demand' Candidate Approach
We developed our approach after analysing and monitoring countless search assignments over a twenty-year period. You will notice several key advantages:
Better Quality Candidates
We use a unique approach to source candidates. Not only do they tend to be of higher quality, they are also less likely to have been approached by other recruiters. This is critical to a successful approach and ultimately to a successful recruitment conclusion.
More Successful Meetings
We place a high emphasis on 'Opportunity Framing' to make sure the opportunity is individually tailored to suit the candidate. That way, it is taken seriously, valued and approached with the proper 'attitude'.
This means:
- Less time wasted in pointless meetings with candidates who are just curious.
- 'Realistic' salary negotiations with candidates who are genuinely keen to pursue the opportunity.
Higher Acceptance Rates
We use experienced consultants who avoid 'sales'. Instead, they are skilled at developing effective rapport with candidates. This gives you real advantages:
- By really understanding the candidate, we can present the opportunity in a way that maximises appeal.
- Uncover the reservations or 'outside developments' that ruin plans and develop solutions that are more likely to be accepted.
- Offer advice at critical periods (such as when the current employer counter-offers) which is listened to and taken into serious consideration.
Related Solutions To Consider
Avoid competitors, reach the right candidates and increase your offer acceptance rate.
Better candidates, increased offer acceptance and less than 1/3 the cost of agencies.
Uncover the real talent and combine with 'headhunting' to reduce costs and increase your success rate.
More Information?
As always, feel free to get in touch for an informal, confidential chat.
You can contact us here.
