Too Slow Or Too Low: Why Offers Are Being Rejected

7/28/2015
Todd Raphael

It’s a job seekers market, but hiring managers haven’t yet fully adjusted to the change, with 40 percent of them taking almost a month to make an offer, only to find out in many cases that their candidate is turning them down.

Better than 8 in 10 of the MRINetwork recruiters participating in the semi-annual MRINetwork Recruiter Sentiment Study said today’s employment market is candidate-driven, a 25-point jump from the 2012 study. That means the professional, executive, and managerial candidates who are the majority of those recruited by MRI franchise offices can be more demanding when it comes to the nature of the work they want, the companies they’re willing to work for, and the compensation and benefits they’ll accept.

In the MRI survey last fall, recruiters said 42 percent of their candidates who got an offer turned it down. In the current survey, recruiters reported that in almost a third (31 percent) of the turndowns, the reason is another offer. In yet another sign of the changing nature of the market, 26 percent said the candidates are rejecting offers because the comp and benefits aren’t what they expected. And current employers are fighting to hang on to top talent; 16 percent of the candidates accept counteroffers.

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