Okay, so I'm starting to notice a trend. Why do my DIRECT FITS and GOLD candidates disappear on me? I interview them, they agree to have an interview set up with the client, I schedule the interview with the client, and POOF they are gone? I have developed rapport with the candidate, expressed the "open communication" thing, so why does this only happen with the GREAT candidates? :( Help!

Views: 700

Comment by Ryan Harding on February 28, 2013 at 10:21pm
It happens because you are one of many who is speaking to the great ones! The bad part is they know their good, and don't care about how you feel. At the end of the day it's what makes recruiting fun :-)
Comment by Cristina Lewis on February 28, 2013 at 10:32pm

lol I hear you, Ryan. I just wonder if I am seeming too desperate (I don't think I am, but maybe they can sense it). Maybe I should appear a little more indifferent when I talk to these folks? 

Comment by Ryan Harding on March 1, 2013 at 8:34am

I don't think that is the case!  You need to show the candidate some passion, and you should do whatever you can to get the candidate lined up for the interview.

Comment by Sandra McCartt on March 1, 2013 at 11:31am
The question is, are you presenting "silver" jobs to "gold"candidates? Is the position a step up for them in terms of job, money, location, company? gold candidates have the option for gold opportunities. When a gold candidate disappears it is normally because they were presented with a better opportunity than the one you presented. Or all things being equal another company moved fast, got them interviewed, an offer on the table and let them know they were highly valued. The intangible of a company who says, get them in here tomorrow and moves fast trumps the company who schedules an interview a week from Thursday if everything else is equal.

There are in fact candidates who are "too good" for some clients. I know it, they know it and many times my client knows it so it fizzles or dies from lack of feeding. Are you overshooting the mark?
Comment by Amy Ala Miller on March 1, 2013 at 1:26pm

Cristina are they disappearing before the interview or after?

Comment by Noel Cocca on March 3, 2013 at 10:23am

Excellent point Sandra.  We sometimes get too gooey over our clients/jobs and forget your point!  I always ask my cadidates to tell me if they find something new, nor harm no foul, just keep me informed...but they still disappear sometimes.  

Comment by Rob on March 5, 2013 at 2:27am

I agree with Noel. As long as they tell you and see you as an advisor not just someone trying to shoehorn them into a role they'll usually keep in touch with you even if they in the end don't want the role. It does depend on their skill set and personality. We've tended to find more drop out for highly 'technical' roles which are in huge demand than commercial roles. One of the other problems that can arise is a lowball offer really puts them off and you never see them again. But to be fair, its a good start interviewing such great candidates. If you keep doing that success will come. 

Comment by Michael Wright on March 5, 2013 at 8:36am

+Co Sign what Sandra said. 

Comment by Cristina Lewis on March 5, 2013 at 1:38pm

Thanks for the feedback...To Amy- They are disappearing before the interview. For example, I have this candidate (medical coder) who I interviewed last week. She was referred to me by two other candidates whom I recently placed. I spent over an hour with her over the phone on a Wednesday night. Chit chatted about things in her life, what she is looking for in a job, what her "pain points" are, etc. The job I am trying to fill met everything she wanted (right pay, right commute, right job responsibilites, stability, benefits, perm, etc.) except she wanted to do it all from home and this job in onsite (remote jobs are pretty typical for coders who are highly experienced). This individual only has 2 years of experience, but she is working contract for a great hospital. I am trying to set her up for a temp-to-hire position, but when it comes down to asking her for an interview time this is the feedback I received: "I'm sick and need to go to the doctor" "I will let you know in 4 days" ..or the great SILENCE number lol. Obviously, I don't believe she is truly interested but she will sometimes come back and say she still wants to interview, but won't give me an interview time! What would you all do?

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on March 5, 2013 at 3:00pm

Thanks for the clarification Cristina. As far as this chick goes, cut her loose. Period, end of story. She's not interested and instead of just saying "hey I'm really only interested in remote" she's sort of stringing you along because she knows hou COULD help her move into a new job. There is no right commute for her because she's made it pretty clear (without saying so) that she only wants to work remote (at least that's my best guess). Sounds like she's in an ok spot, and the opportunity you're offering her (in her mind) is not "better" enough to take steps to changing it.

As far as how to address it with this candidate - I would tell her in the nicest most professional way possible that when she's serious about making a change, you will gladly talk to her about opportunities at that time. In the meantime, you are moving forward with candidates who've already reached that place mentally and emotionally.

Generally speaking for any candidate waffling on going to an interview - "You can't turn down an offer you don't have". Interviewing is no guarantee that you'll actually receive an offer. So until you interview, what exactly are you saying no to? An opportunity to learn about another company? A chance to keep your interview skills sharp in case you find ourself actively on the market? Because turning down an interview isn't turning down a JOB... that will usually humble them right up. :)

Comment

You need to be a member of RecruitingBlogs to add comments!

Join RecruitingBlogs

Subscribe

All the recruiting news you see here, delivered straight to your inbox.

Just enter your e-mail address below

Webinar

RecruitingBlogs on Twitter

© 2024   All Rights Reserved   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Service