3 Ways to Ease Rejected Offer Pain

Rejection hurts. Hiring managers across the nation are feeling more rejected throughout this Great Reshuffling, Big Quit, Great Resignation…whatever you want to call it. With approximately two jobs for every unemployed American, it’s harder than ever to hire the talent you need for your organization.

Over the last 18 months, we’ve heard increasing instances of rejected offers, candidates ghosting throughout the interview process, and not showing up on the first day.

If you find yourself with more rejections than acceptances, consider the following activities to increase your offer acceptance rates.

Understand Current Recruiting Stats

Update your benchmark data with the following stats if you’re still using expectations from pre-2020.

• Acceptance rates are down year-over-year. In 2021, the average acceptance rate was 85%; today, it’s closer to 80%.
• Large companies (5,000+) and small companies (>250) saw the highest acceptance rates.
• Large companies increased the time to hire by eight days over last year.
• Sourcing rates are decreasing. Recruiter outreach messages are accepted at 22% this year (compared to 28% this year).
• On average, it takes more than one offer to hire. For every accepted offer, there are 1.2 offers extended. This indicates the importance of having more than one finalist-quality candidate.

If you’re judging your recruiting and talent acquisition efforts solely on past information, you will not be setting your recruiting teams up for success. Setting appropriate expectations for results can be just as important as putting together a job description regarding recruiting.

If you’re looking for more recruiting statistics, check out this blog from Gem.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Update your recruiting benchmarks.

Adjust the Ways You Recruit

It might come as no surprise, but how we recruit has drastically changed over the years. People who are willing to recruit friends and family tend to be more satisfied with their work. Passively sourced candidates and applicants you find through referrals are 4x more likely to be hired. In addition, candidate referrals tend to be a cost-effective way to tap into passive labor markets and help create cohesive organizations.

If you’re looking for more resources on creating a candidate referral program, check out this blog from SHRM.

KEY TAKEAWAY: If you don’t have an employee referral program, are you missing out on great candidates?

Track Your Rejection Reasons

You can’t expect things to change if you’re not asking people why they’re rejecting your offers. It might seem uncomfortable, but if you’ve established a strong rapport during the interview, your candidates will likely share their feedback. And if you find candidates are not forthcoming, look at your recruiting and interview process for clunkiness or wrong impressions of your organization.

Why would someone reject an offer?

1. More competitive offer elsewhere
2. Used your offer to leverage a counteroffer with their current employee
3. After going through the interview process, they don’t feel your organization is a good role or fit.

KEY TAKEAWAY: ASK why candidates reject your feedback and find ways to act on the input.

BONUS: Review Your Total Rewards Packages

Premium pay is still offered to candidates despite rumblings of layoffs and hiring freezes. If your organization can’t afford premium pay, consider offering

• Flexible schedules
• Work from home opportunities
• Emphasize your company culture (if it’s a strength of your organization… don’t lie if it’s not)
• Make offers to your candidates quickly
• Share your career advancement opportunities
• Elaborate on development plans and opportunities

KEY TAKEAWAY: If you can’t afford premium pay, consider being creative with what you can offer.

As we find ourselves in an ever-changing candidate and talent landscape, it’s important to remember that interviews are a chance for the candidate to interview you as much as you’re interviewing them. If you have the opportunity for feedback, take it with grace.

We understand the HR and payroll landscape unlike any other staffing and recruiting firm. Our team is credentialed in HR, payroll, recruiting, and diversity hiring. When you’re looking for the right fit, we’re here to assist! If you’re finding it hard to find qualified HR and payroll professionals, contact Willory.

P. S.

We all know retaining employees is easier than finding new employees. If you’re interested in learning more about attracting and retaining top talent, check out ERC’S NorthCoast 99. Willory is proud to be recognized for the 8th year in a row.