Of the multitude of reasons why this statement is false, some are understandable and others are not. We can, however, learn from all of them. Here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure you are never caught off guard after having a candidate accept an offer:
1) Ask the candidate directly if upon acceptance they are going to call all other prospective employers they spoke with during their search. The difficult part about this is that you have to first admit the candidate was talking to other employers. Some of my clients hope that they are the ONLY company a candidate would consider. It is a fool's errand, however, to hope for that. If a candidate is leaving a company (for a good reason or not doesn't matter) then they are likely going to have more than one conversation to find the best long term career move. Which means them accepting an offer with you does not guarantee they are going to tell all of those other companies they are off the market. Unless, of course, you ask them to. We have found that once a candidate does comply with this request it is a great way to confirm their commitment to the offer and subsequent employment.
2) Ask the candidate directly if they are susceptible to a counter offer from their current company. I ask that question EVERY time at offer stage and somewhere between 90-95% of people respond to me with something along the lines of, "No, that won't ever happen." Fill in the blank after that for whatever the reason may be. Just like the stock market, past performance is no guarantee of future results. There are a million reasons why this situation could be the exception and a counter offer is difficult to say no to, even when we know the stats show that it seldom works long term.
3) Keep in touch. All. The. Time. There is really no exception to this one. Oftentimes employers fall into the trap of thinking because an offer was accepted the candidate has no additional questions and is cool as a cucumber. The reality is that many questions can still be floating around in a candidate's head, but they don't really know who to ask. And asking too many proverbial questions without any answers can lead to doubt in a candidate's mind. You don't want even a shred of doubt to creep in. Find a reason to check in a few days after an offer is accepted. Check in again a few days before the first day to make certain all forms are completed or ready to complete on the first day. While you can certainly communicate too much and freak someone out, I have found that it is pretty difficult to do unless you call every day, twice a day, for three weeks leading up to a start date. I could see how that might be a tad overboard. But only then!
4) Check in frequently AFTER a candidate begins employment. This is where the absolute biggest surprises can come if you are not prepared. If you were lucky enough to gain acceptance, get the candidate through the resignation process, and have them start, do not for a moment think they are still not susceptible to some doubt. Maybe they keep in touch informally with an old colleague. Or perhaps they stay in touch with one of those other prospective employers that didn't have an opening at the time, but wanted to check in occasionally. Candidates need to be reminded why they made a good decision and be re-assured they are in the right place. Then when that call comes to try and pry them out, they appreciate it, politely decline the conversation, and start on the path to becoming a really good long term investment.
I spoke recently with a candidate of mine that I placed with a good client about eight years ago. We still talk today about his decision to join this client and to see if he is still happy with the transition. Fortunately for everyone his is and has been incredibly successful. It is never too late to keep asking that question and never assume that the recruitment process is complete at acceptance of an offer.
Have you ever experienced either end of an acceptance turning into a declination? How did you learn from the experience?
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