Why Do Job Candidates Turn Down Job Offers?

It can cost thousands of dollars to recruit your next employee. When you find the perfect person for the job, you can rest assured that its been money well spent because that person will be a long term, productive asset to your company who will boost your bottom line and help drive your company to success. But what happens when there is a hiccup during the recruitment process? What happens when job candidates turn down job offers? It’s a common occurrence, and you need to know why it happens.

It can come as a real shock when your top recruit turns down your job offer. Even after a perfect job interview, flawless social media and background screens, impeccable references, and an irresistible job offer, it’s still possible that a job candidate will turn down the job offer. But why?

Here are 10 reasons why job candidates turn down job offers:

Pay & Compensation – This is the number one reason why job candidates turn down job offers. Pay and perks are why a job candidate is looking for a job. You absolutely must offer a competitive wage that has perks and benefits that matter or you have no hope to ever land the perfect job candidate.
Timeliness – Job offers need to be presented in a timely manner following a job interview. If you don’t offer them a job right away, they won’t stick around and wait for you to dilly dally.
Location – If you’re not in a prime location, it’s easy for a job candidate to be attracted to a job in a swanky part of town or a cooler part of the country.
Online Reputation – While you are doing your research, job candidates are doing theirs. They are calling in their network, Googling your company and employees, and reading every review they can get their hands on. If they don’t like what they see, it makes sense to pull the plug.
Contract Terms – If the terms of the employment contract are not what was agreed upon, are unclear, or unacceptable, job candidates will walk away.
Job Description – The job ad is what attracted the candidate to apply for the job in the first place, but if they learn that the job isn’t what they expected, there is no reason to stick around.
Other Job Offers – The job market is fierce and many talented job candidates apply at multiple companies. If another company made a better offer, they’d be a fool not to take it.
Personal Issues – Unexpected things happen. Major life changes must be agreed upon by spouses and kids. There may be personal issues standing in the way of a job candidate accepting your offer.
Lack Of Personalization – Depending on the job, a personalized touch can go a long way. If you send a stock email job offer or don’t offer the job in person, the job candidate may feel slighted.
Poor Cultural Fit – Company culture is a major part of an employee’s day to day life. If the job candidate doesn’t feel like they fit in, they aren’t going to enjoy working there – and that’s a big red flag.

What it comes down to is that job candidates turn down job offers because they have doubts and fears about the position, the company, or the pay. As you know, it’s a big deal to take a new job and if they turned it down, they did so for a good reason and that means they might not be the right fit for your team.

How To Make An Irresistible Offer

If your perfect job candidate turns down your job offer, don’t panic. Make them a counter offer and try to negotiate fair terms. If they turn that down, well, maybe it wasn’t meant to be.

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