You’re an amazing sourcer, an expert at building a talent pipeline, and you know where to find the best candidates. But can you close the deal? If you can’t get a candidate to commit, all of your efforts to attract the best become a giant waste of time. For many employers, it comes down to a ‘failure to launch’ – you get all the way to the offer letter, but then the candidate reconsiders.
This is one of the toughest cleared recruiting markets in recent memory. With the cleared talent pool reduced by more than 12 percent, the number of quality applicants is simply getting smaller – as the contracting challenges grow more complex. Here are six reasons why you can’t get a candidate to commit – and ideas for giving your recruiting program a rocket boost.
1. You didn’t pitch total compensation.
Money talks. But base salary isn’t likely to be a passive candidate’s key factor. More than ever, candidates are interested in work-life balance, and the more intangible rewards certain employers can offer. Smartronix has found success attracting passive candidates by offering the big picture when it comes to compensation.
“Our unique approach is to speak to the salary in terms of total compensation, and not “just” the base salary. The total compensation is our way of highlighting monies within our benefits that might not be clear to candidates,” said Maria Whitney, senior technical recruiter with Smartronix. “For example, our PTO policy offers 3 weeks’ vacation + 1 week of sick time + 10 government holidays. So when speaking to candidates, we do inquire about their current benefits and then highlight the differences against it. We have found that more PTO days can equal more monies within the total compensation that they weren’t receiving or calculating initially.”
The salary may not seem much higher than other offers, but the flexibility of 25+ days off may mean the work-life balance a candidate has been craving, and may make your compensation package an offer they can’t refuse.
2. You’re being too pushy.
The definition of a passive candidate is someone who isn’t actively searching for a new opportunity. The inclination will be to sell your company – and you should, to some extent. But there’s a reason ‘hard to get’ is still a successful dating strategy. An in-demand cleared candidate doesn’t want to hop into bed with just any company. Push too hard, and you’ll just seem desperate. Also, beware of how many individuals within your company are reaching out. Once the offer drops, give the candidate an opportunity to marinate a bit. Then reach out yourself, or have their future manager follow-up on the offer.
3. You leave them in the lurch.
The opposite of the pushy employer is the one who leaves the candidate hanging. To some extent, this is a product of the contracting environment. But even if you’re dealing with a contingent offer, keep fostering the relationship. Also, just because a candidate has told you they’re going to accept the offer, don’t assume they will. This is recruiting 101, but if you’re an employer dealing with dozens of applicants at once, it’s easy to forget the follow-up. And that can make a difference between a ‘yes’ or a ‘thanks, but no thanks.’
4. You didn’t make them feel emotionally connected to your company.
If you’re going to get a passive candidate to leave their current employer and a stable work situation, you’re going to need them to fall in love with you – or your company, anyway. Relationships are a critical part of every workplace. You need to get the candidate invested if you want them to accept an offer. Introduce them to their future boss, if you can. Schedule a lunch meeting to go over the offer. Personalize at every opportunity – that’s even more important than persuasion, says Luke Mann, operations lead, staffing and strategy operations at Northrop Grumman.
“For passive candidates, it’s not always about being able to persuade them,” he notes “They are passive for a reason – they aren’t actively seeking something new. So, your typical selling points that may work on active candidates won’t always work on passive candidates. The most effective strategy for passive candidates is to engage them in conversations. Once they trust you enough to be honest, you can begin to determine their “pains”.
5. You didn’t solve their problem.
A passive candidate isn’t going to change employers on a whim. That’s why getting to know them is so important. Mann says it often boils down to one question.
“If they could change one or two things in their current job, what would it be? As you uncover areas they’d like to improve, you can then use that information to build a strategy around the opportunity you want to sell them.”
Whether it’s better work-life balance and more time with family, a higher salary, or more responsibility, you’re going to have to give the candidate something they don’t already have in order for them to entertain the hassle of changing positions. And as Mann points out, you can’t sell an opportunity until you know the sticking points that will be most attractive to your candidate. And you can’t know those without a relationship. It can be time consuming, but it also offers the best pay-off when it comes to getting a candidate to not just entertain an offer, but to accept one.
6. You didn’t show them their next job.
Five and ten-year plans may seem unnecessary to a coveted passive candidate – they’re not living paycheck-to-paycheck, nor are they worried about keeping a job. They might not know where they’ll be sitting ten years from now, but you can bet they’ve considered their next job. Whether it’s a move into management, a relocation, a new degree or their next skill-set, the most in-demand candidates have a plan to succeed. If you’re only offering them one job, it will be easy for them to turn down. Sell them on their next job, and they’ll be much more interested. This is best accomplished by having them sit down with their future boss or another team member. Then once you’re ready to make an offer, have those same individuals talk through where the company sees that candidate in five or ten years.
If you’re able to give a candidate a five and ten year plan that’s better than the one they could have imagined, they’ll be hard-pressed to turn you down. Show them how you can launch their career, and they’ll find your offer letter one they can’t afford to refuse.