When a candidate withdraws from the interview process or declines a job offer, it's often because he or she didn't see anything in the new company that's better than his or her current company. Whether it's the career opportunity, the people, the salary, or just the fact that the organization itself appeared unattractive, something was missing.
Companies tend to get so wrapped up in finding the ideal candidate that they forget they need to be the right company. They need to sell to the candidate the opportunity, the company culture, and, ultimately, themselves. If you spend the entire interview questioning the candidate on his or her background, skills, experience, etc., and don’t spend any time talking about what the opportunity has to offer, company/cultural selling points, etc., the candidate will very likely not want to return for a second interview.
If a company wants to attract A players — and who doesn’t? — then it has to be an A company. What I mean by this is, if you’re interviewing an experienced informatics pharmacist from another hospital (an A player) and you cannot offer them the opportunity to expand their skill set, advance their career, or make more money than they’re currently making, then you’re not going to be very attractive to this candidate. In other words, you’ll be a “B” company.
Prior to interviewing candidates, a company should identify the specific type of person for whom they’re looking. What skills and qualifications do they need? How much experience with specific software do they need? What type of personality will fit with your culture? Now, once you’ve written your job description, evaluate whether your company has what it takes to attract this person. If you’re not able to offer them something they’re currently lacking, then it’s likely you’ll not be of interest to them.
Now, the “B” company mentioned above is not bad company. It just might have trouble attracting the type of candidate described. Prior to starting the hiring process, it’s important to remember that your expectations for the type of candidate you want to hire are proportional to what you have to offer. Look within your organization and determine what you can offer potential employees, and when evaluating your job description be realistic in regard to who will be interested in what you have to offer.
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