👻 They’re just not that into you…

Ghosting…we’ve all been there. You have the perfect candidate, they have been responsive the whole process, very agreeable, and aced every interview. Your customer is now excited about them and you can’t get the offer out the door soon enough. Then poof…nothing. They vanish.

How can you save yourself and your team the time investment of a full interview process, and save the aggravation your customer is inevitably going to have for you once you tell them the great candidate you had locked up has disappeared? Here are 3 things you can do to build the relationship with candidates, and identify any pitfalls that may arise during the hiring process sooner than later:

1. Pick up the phone! Once the initial screening call is complete, it is easy to rely solely on email and text to communicate with your candidates – but this leaves the door open for missed details to slide through. Call your candidates to discuss next steps and coordinate interviews throughout the process, this will give you a chance to gain a better read on the them and ask pre-closing or additional exploratory questions.

2. Beware of the “Yes-man”! If a candidate raises absolutely no objections, concerns, or does not ask any questions throughout the interview process; then you are likely just another number to them. When candidates show no interest in learning more about the details of a role, or make no effort to ensure the nuances of a positions will fit into their life, it likely means they are just using your offer as leverage for another opportunity.

3. ABC! Always be closing. Continue to confirm the finer details with your candidates throughout the hiring process. Lock them down on salary multiple times, make sure they know exactly what their commute will look like, and ensure they vibed well with everyone on the team. The candidate should have as few reasons to reject an offer as possible, and it is your responsibility to alleviate any of these concerns prior to the offer stage. Don’t rely on your candidates to raise concerns on their own. Oversight of these small details will blow up a deal.

Following these steps will give you insight into candidate rationale, and help to spot a candidate who is not truly invested in your company before your valuable time gets wasted.

STEM Solutions is proud to present this issue of the SF-86. STEM Solutions specializes in the recruitment of cleared professionals. The federal talent market is as competitive as it gets, we’ll help you win by getting the best talent, faster. Schedule a time to speak with us today. **