4 Reasons Your IT Candidate Turned Down Your Offer

You did it. You found the ideal IT candidate for your hard-to-fill open position. The candidate impressed everyone throughout your interview process, has the right skills, and seems like a great fit for your team and culture. But when you send on the job offer, you’re met with the response, “I’ve decided to go in a different direction, thanks for your time!” Your hiring managers are left scratching their head asking themselves what went wrong.

Over the past 25 years, my team here at TriCom has helped connect our clients with thousands of IT candidates. In that time, we’ve identified four key reasons why candidates fall out of the funnel and accept competing job offers. Do any of these challenges sound familiar?

Reason #1

Your Recruiting Processes Are Inefficient and Take Too Damn Long

Here’s the truth – today’s IT candidates aren’t waiting around to hear back about the next stage in the interview process. If there’s a bottleneck in your organization and it takes more than a few days to get back to a candidate about their resume or interview, you risk losing the candidate to a company with a better and more efficient interview process. In fact, data from the Staffing Industry Analysts shows that nearly a quarter of candidates lose interest in a position altogether if they don’t hear back within a week after their interview – this number jumps to 46% after two. And to make matters worse, you have wasted a lot of time and need to start over from square one.

Think of the interview process as a preview into how your organization runs – what message are you sending to candidates?

Here are a few improvements you can make to your keep candidates happy:

Simplify your application as much as possible. One study showed that when candidates can apply to a position in under five minutes, conversion rates increase by more than 300%.
Review resumes and contact best-fit candidates within a week of receiving their application.
Never wait longer than a week to provide feedback after an interview. If more time is needed, call the candidate and let them know that they’re still being considered.
Don’t wait long to present an offer once you know they’re the winning candidate! If you’re waiting on internal approvals, ensure your team knows that technologists are in high demand and you need to act soon.

Reason #2:

Your Open Tech Position Doesn’t Allow Flexible or Remote Work

In today’s IT talent landscape, if your position doesn’t offer flexibility or remote work options it can send candidates running for the hills. A job description that says, “Must be in office from 8:30-5:30 M-F,” might actually be saying your company just doesn’t mesh well with today’s modern candidate, who prioritizes flexibility above more traditional perks.

According to Dice’s annual Tech Salary Report, 73% of IT professionals selected remote work and flexibility as one of the most important benefits. Out of those professionals, only 49% were offered remote work options within their current role. Perhaps even more eye-opening is the fact that 52% of surveyed IT professionals said they would be willing to take a pay cut for a position that did offer remote work options.

“When I’m comparing two job offers, I will always give preference to the offer that allows remote work – even if the salary is around 10-15 thousand dollars less than the other offer. In my eyes, remote work is becoming less of a perk and more of a requirement.” –Software Engineer

Reason #3:

Your Organization Doesn’t Offer Training or Advancement Opportunities

You’re bringing new technical talent into your team because you need their expertise to optimize your processes and grow your business. In exchange, today’s IT candidates are expecting more than a competitive salary – they need to see that you’re committed to investing in their growth as well.

If a candidate doesn’t see a clear path for advancement or development opportunities within your organization, that’s going to signal serious red flags. After all, the world of technology moves at breakneck speeds – if technologists aren’t continuously learning new skills to stay above the curve, they’re going to fall behind. Right behind remote work options, training and education opportunities were a leading benefit that technologists crave – with 71% believing it’s important and only 40% being offered these opportunities within their current role.

Beyond providing development opportunities like courses and certifications, hiring managers need to be prepared to explain the different ways in which the technologist can grow within the position and the company. When 34% of tech professionals are looking to change jobs because they want more responsibility and monotony is a leading cause of burnout, organizations that are committed to employee development will shine above the competition.

Reason #4:

Your Company Culture isn’t Winning Them Over

One commonly overlooked factor when attracting candidates is showcasing your organization’s culture in areas that are most meaningful to them. We’re not talking about the sprinkles on top like a breakroom jam-packed with snacks and weekly happy hours – while those are nice to have, a ping pong table has never tipped a candidate’s scale in favor of one company over another. IT candidates who engage with your organization need to believe that the team that waits on the other side of the job offer is going to support them, recognize them for their achievements, root for their success, and contribute to an overall healthy work environment.

I once had a conversation with a young software engineer who seemed to find a new red flag with every day at his new job. While the company had sports leagues, volunteer committees, and a volleyball net outside of the office, he wasn’t receiving support, attention, or recognition from his team. It wasn’t long until he was searching for a new job at a company that would provide him with the supportive environment that he craved – just like the other 46% of IT professionals who change jobs for that reason.

Bonus Reason:

You Need Support from an Expert Tech Recruiter

While the points above are critical for attracting top IT talent into your organization, they can seem easier said than done with all of the other responsibilities your team has on their plate. That’s why organizations are increasingly turning to staffing firms with deep experience in the tech space, like TriCom Technical Services, to connect them with the IT talent they need.