As a recruiter, I’ve been burned a lot by candidates who aren’t quite sure what they want. I spend time interviewing, coaching, and advocating on their behalf all to… see them walk away from a presented opportunity.
All employers should be aware of this danger – not knowing how committed their candidate is to the job before spending countless hours on them and finally offering them a position, just to have them change their mind. It can, and probably will, happen to anyone who does a lot of hiring.
When looking to place talent into a position at your company, you must measure their commitment level from start to finish.
This is especially important in the beginning phases of your candidate search. You must be very aware of how serious a candidate is about finding a new job, why they are looking, what they are looking for, and when they are available to make that switch.
Identify their goals and how they align with your position. If they seem unsure of what they want, or even disinterested, this is a red flag.
To dig into this critical information, there has to be a great initial screening put into place. Knowing precisely what a candidate is looking for will solve any obstacles down the road. This also helps to identify when a candidate is a good fit for your position or not. Maybe you are offering great XYZ but the candidate is actually looking for ABC. If you aren’t offering what they’re looking for, they will likely back out after much time is spent on recruiting them.
Identify their goals and how they align with your position. If they seem unsure of what they want, or even disinterested, this is a red flag. Then it is time to have a tough conversation with them. Tell your candidate that maybe this job isn’t a fit for them and pay close attention to their reaction.
If they are vague and open-ended, it probably isn’t a fit. If they are direct and give specific details about why they truly want a new job, it’s a good sign that you can continue forward with this candidate.
Throughout the recruitment process, you can’t lose sight of the small details, your gut feelings, and plain old red flags. Measuring candidate commitment is vital to keeping a streamlined, efficient process and getting your position filled with the right person.
