No matter what role you’re hiring for, qualified job candidates are valuable. How do you keep your candidates moving along the interview and hiring process? Well, for starters, you can avoid these nine common stumbling blocks that will surely lose you your prized candidate.

Loss of momentum

Momentum is critical to the recruiting and hiring process. It’s a challenge to build it up and it can be lost very easily. You need to keep recruited candidates posted on what the next steps are for them. If they are left for more than 3 days with no communication from you, they will begin to sour on your opportunity.

No communication

The number one thing that all candidates want is feedback and communication. This is very easy. Tell them what the next steps are going to be and execute on those next steps.

Indecision

Indecision on the candidate’s part is understandable. However, indecision on the part of the company can stall and ruin the hiring process. You need to be committed to hiring the best candidate available.

Treating a recruited candidate like a normal job seeker

Recruited candidates should not be treated like a normal job seeker. A recruited candidate didn’t seek out your opportunity. It was brought to them and presented to them by a recruiter. The recruiter began the process of selling the candidate on your opportunity. It’s up to you to continue that sales process.

Compensation brought up too early

Compensation should be brought up later in the interview process. The candidate and company need to establish rapport and develop a mutual interest. Bringing up compensation early will only hurt you.

Unimpressive interview

A recruited candidate will be evaluating you just as much as you are evaluating them during an interview. Your office needs to be clean, your staff needs to be friendly, and you need to have prepared for the interview in advance.

Lack of market consideration

Whenever making a talent decision you need to consider the macroeconomic environment. The US is at full employment and has been for several years. Odds are that your local talent market is at full employment, as well.

Wrong compensation package

Many companies create compensation packages in a vacuum. Instead, these should be the result of a careful analysis of your talent market, the position, and level of need.

Counter-offer

Counters are not as common as you may think. A strong onboarding process needs to be in place to get your candidate excited to join your team. An excited candidate won’t be nearly as susceptible to counter-offers.