15 Reasons Why Candidates Are Rejecting Your Job Offer
Jobs are not easy to come by due to the stiff competition in the labor market. Yet, people still reject job offers, including those who need one. If you are an employer, you would be surprised if candidates are rejecting your job offer. After all, you turned down other candidates to offer them a job.
Did you know that it is most likely your fault? Indeed, we have researched and compiled for you 15 reasons why candidates are rejecting your job offer.
Let’s get to it!
Reasons why candidates are rejecting your job offer
It is not common for candidates to refuse a job offer, especially nowadays when jobs are hard to find. Yet, there are cases where candidates turn down job offers they were previously interested in. Let’s see why.
The salary is not attractive.
Some primarily work for the love of the profession, and others do it for the money. As long as a candidate is not volunteering, they expect to be well-paid for their troubles. Therefore, when the salary is not attractive, candidates look elsewhere.
It is logical for candidates to turn down an offer that they feel is less than what they deserve, especially if they had earned more previously. Also, if the salary on offer is not up to the standard industry pay, it will be rejected. Hiring the best candidates for a job is not cheap. Therefore, review your salary scale if your offer keeps getting turned down.
The work environment doesn’t look good.
True happiness cannot be easily faked. When a work environment is attractive, employers don’t have to do too many convincing candidates to fancy joining them. Going into a new organization, every candidate wants to feel like part of a big family.
When the atmosphere is positive and friendly, people are eager to resume work the next day. On the other hand, a toxic work environment is usually avoided like a plague. Unhealthy competition, backstabbing, unethical practices, and more vices could be why candidates are rejecting your job offers.
Current staff is not envied in the industry.
If your employees are envied by their peers in the industry, then you are doing everything right. What you should be worried about is when nobody wants to be in your employees’ shoes. As a collective unit or individually, if your current staff is not making waves, it rubs off on you.
When your employees are always worn out or depressed, it is a sign that will be seen by others. No one would want to become them after joining your establishment. You may not be attracting candidates because of the physical, mental, or emotional state of the ones in your ranks.
Former staff doesn’t have great things to say about their experience.
Not everyone likes to talk much about their exes or where they worked previously. Yet, when they only have negative things to say after leaving a previous position, it speaks volumes.
Your former employees only have memories of their time spent working with or for you. And if it wasn’t pleasant, they might spill the beans when they leave. There are cases where former staff members talk about how working for the company was traumatic. The worst case is when former employees file a lawsuit against a former employer- it raises a lot of red flags.
In reality, candidates who know little to nothing about your company would easily believe accounts from former staff. This could be another reason why candidates are rejecting your job offers.
Negative reviews from other applicants.
Nowadays, customers have so much power and influence over businesses or services thanks to numerous feedback options. As customers can give either positive or negative reviews on a product or service, so can candidates give reviews on your establishment.
As an employer, you must be used to getting hundreds or thousands of application letters and resumes from candidates. Thus, if some candidates were not pleased by the way your organization operates, they might give negative reviews.
These negative reviews should not be taken for granted. It might make other candidates lose interest in joining your organizations. From job search websites to online forums, candidates rank establishments. And if you are ranked low, candidates may reject your job offer.
The commute is not favorable.
Working is already stressful, and every candidate wants to avoid any additional stress by all means. One of the causes of stress at work is the duration or method of the commute. The location of any organization is important. It could make a promising job unattractive in an instant.
For example, jobs that require the employees to travel long distances or move out of town may see candidates turn down offers. Also, if the location does not help candidates to stay in touch with the outside world, it would be discouraging. Organizations located in places where only certain means of transportation can reach also brown people off.
Your company culture is not their cup of tea.
The 21st-century millennials are arguably the most sensitive generation yet, and for good reason. Joining an organization nowadays means that a candidate has taken into consideration what the company stands for.
Every company has an identity or culture that they live by. Yet, not all company cultures and policies sit right with people. Thus, a questionable culture practiced by an organization would be a “candidate repellant” in many ways. If candidates are not accepting your job offers, then you should look into the company’s culture.
The benefits are not good enough.
Besides the salary, benefits are some of the factors that keep employees happy in an organization. In fact, employers who offer superior benefits to their employees record an increase in productivity. However, when the benefits attached to the job offer are below par, you stand to lose candidates.
Some organizations hardly give their employees enough vacation time. Also, some do not offer paid vacation benefits. Then, there are those whose HMO does not cover more than the most basic medical challenges.
These are some of the things that employees need to relieve stress and focus on their jobs. If you are not doing enough regarding benefits for employees, candidates will look for willing employers elsewhere.
Limited room for career advancement.
Every serious candidate wants to join an organization that can take them to the highest level. Or at least get them closer to the peak. Now, if your establishment does not give employers elbow room, candidates would not want to take your offer. When the environment, motivation, opportunities, and resources to help employees grow are not available, there is a problem.
Career advancement packages like scheduled workshops or training improved and updated hardware and software products, help employees to grow. Most employees value these career development packages as much as the salary.
You don’t embrace current methods.
Words travel fast. Candidates who are yet to become a part of your organization already know how things are run in the company. If you do not embrace current methods or follow modern approaches to running your business, you might have a problem.
Firstly, a progressive company embraces technology. They automate virtually everything and use sophisticated software among other tools for their daily activities. This helps employees to work faster and smarter.
Millennials are already used to modern technology and have an eye on the future even now. The current generation of workers is only interested in working with a progressive company for obvious reasons. Also, working for a company that is not in touch with the current times does not look good on candidates’ resumes. They would hardly develop relevant skills which would hinder their progress professionally.
A complicated hiring process.
Hiring new employees takes a lot of preparation, time, effort, and careful consideration on the employer’s part. The candidates, on the other hand, go through stress and anxiety in preparedness for the hiring process. Thus, there is no need to make the process any more difficult than it already is.
This means that the hiring process must be stress-free and direct or else candidates might become disillusioned with the process. To emphasize, the means of sending resumes must be straightforward. Also, scheduling an interview shouldn’t take ages. Candidates don’t like it when it takes several weeks after sending their resume to be called up for an interview.
Likewise, the response time after the interview shouldn’t take more than a few weeks. Any more than that and candidates would move on to better offers. You might end up losing the candidates you need and eventually see your offer getting rejected.
Reality is not what it seems.
In the labor market, there are still some shady employers who don’t give candidates the full information about the role. They present candidates with offers with somewhat hidden responsibilities and demands. This will ultimately make candidates flee your establishment.
For instance, some employers present an offer to candidates detailing working hours that in reality, they would have to exceed. In some cases, employers add extra responsibilities to a candidate’s job description which means that they would be doing more than what they signed up for. These are clear dishonest signs which are probably why candidates are rejecting your job offers.
The job demands too much.
Having the job you love is a dream come true. However, there should be a line between your work life and social life. In fact, having a work-life balance is the key to stability and ultimately improved productivity in workers. Yet, some jobs don’t give employees the room to have a life outside of work.
This happens when the demands of the job are overwhelming. Some job offers come with high demands that are nearly impossible to meet if you want to have a life outside of work. From frequent traveling, and incessant meetings, to long working hours, these demands can affect people’s lives, relationships, and health.
Perhaps you have a problem.
Getting a job is not easy these days and offers are often cherished by candidates. Yet, no one wants to work for someone who will make their life a living hell. This is when the salary and benefits become secondary.
Some employers make a habit of reminding their employees that they could get fired at any time. No one wants to work under that type of pressure. Then, some rude bosses act like they are doing employees a favor by paying them what they earn.
There are times when an employer is so ill-mannered that their first impressions at the interview are unpleasant.
Have you ever been caught yelling at an employee? Do you remember the look on other employees’ faces when it happened? Exactly! Candidates would have that same look on their faces and it would influence their perception of you.
Thus, if your job offers are getting rejected, then you should look at yourself. Do some soul searching to see where you fall short to make some changes.
They got a better offer.
This makes sense any way you choose to look at it. Every candidate, businessperson, or freelancer goes with the highest bidder more often than not. If another employer is offering a higher salary, better benefits, and more opportunities, you would expect a candidate to take it instead.
It is only on rare occasions that candidates don’t go with the highest bidder. Again, it is extremely rare. Don’t beat yourself up if this happens; just improve your offer if you can.
Final thoughts
Since people go through lengths to get and keep their jobs, it would take something special to make them turn down an offer. Most of the time, it is not the candidate’s fault. By not paying well enough or being a terrible boss, you might be doing your business more harm than good.
Start by reviewing your business operations, your attitude, the work environment, salary structure, and more. While it might take time to rebuild a reputation that has been smeared, taking the right steps would help eventually. Let us know in the comments section below if you have ever rejected a job offer and why.