The Rule of Threes

Life is pretty good at the moment. I have some really fun things planned for the summer (my FAVORITE season), and things are great at work. I’m currently at 266% of goal for the month and 137% of goal for the quarter. So why do I feel a bit melancholy?…

Oh, I remember now (Should I even be admitting this?!)…The three job offer turndowns I’ve had from candidates over the last few weeks!

After the second job turndown, I talked it over with a co-worker who said to me, “You know Meghann, bad things typically happen in threes.” Ugh! That should have probably prepared me for the third one, but I was still surprised when it happened, because this does not typically happen to me…Am I doing something differently? Were the offers just not compelling enough? Is it the companies/jobs? After some reflection, I realized that job offers are turned down for a variety of reasons, but the indicators are often there all along.

No Verbal Acceptance, No Go:
If a candidate has not verbally accepted a job offer, there is no need to send them a written one. Period. I know that many people reading this will disagree with me, but I do this for a living every day-so they’ll have to take my word for it. Candidates are not making decisions based on the official offer letter (They probably knew when they walked out of the interview whether or not they wanted the job). As long as they have all the details (i.e. title, compensation, benefits, PTO, etc.), they should be able to make an informed decision with no issues.

If the candidate needs to think about the (verbal) offer, they should communicate what it is that they are pondering. Do they need more information that can be gathered by a phone conversation with the recruiter or hiring manager? Or talk with an industry peer? Or is it just a stall tactic while they wait for another offer?

I don’t want candidates reading this post to feel that I would pressure them to make a decision- anyone who has worked with me can tell them that’s definitely not my style. I understand that a career move is a big decision and they need to be 100% sure. However, they should know that there are other candidates who would jump at the offer they’re sitting on.

Recruiters and hiring managers reading this: I hope this post will help you to recognize the signs sooner and make any necessary changes before it’s too late- or at least get the “no” earlier than the deadline day…

…Now on to some really GOOD things to happen in “threes” this summer!

-Meghann