Top 4 Reasons Candidates Turn Down Offers
I have had more than my fair share of rejections over the years and they usually fall into one of these 4 categories.
1) Bad Culture fit. They just did not get the vibe with the culture. Perhaps it was to slow, too conservative, too collaborative, too risk adverse or the opposite of all of these. They just did not feel the vibe. Recruiters should give several clears examples of what the culture looks like and compare it to other company cultures before they ever interview. If it’s a bad fit, then do not do the interview. Do not say it’s a “practice interview” Bad Karma will follow.
2) The Brand was not in alignment with their beliefs and values. This happened more with other leaders in other companies than it did with the company I worked for but it was an issue for many of my peers in other companies. Some people wanted “name brands” big brands” top 10 CPG brands” or they did not want to work for companies that out sourced services or used Asia sourcing for some products. Recruiters should know this before the interview and flush out bad alignments.
3) Peer discomfort.I have had people say they just did not get a good feeling with their peer group they were going to work with. Sometimes this was a diversity issue, not enough people of color, not enough blend of genders, (never a case with me) or they picked up a signal they would not be welcome. This is harder for recruiters to figure out but they need to dig for deeper insights on what people are looking for in a job.
4) Lame excuses. These are not really the reasons but they tell you they are: relocation, not relocation, money, benefits (unless there aren’t any) too much travel, not enough travel, creature comforts in the office, food, drinks, snacks, et. These are all nonsense and signals they were not mature enough to really consider the job.
