"​We Made a Great Offer. The Candidate Said No."
06/12/25 Edition Stephen Says Column

Dear Stephen,

I am a VP of Sales at a mid-size manufacturer. We had an opening for a regional manager’s position in a mid-size market and I went through all the usual resources; our internal recruiters scoured LinkedIn Recruiter, but when that didn’t find a qualified candidate, we networked with our dealers and the design community. Ultimately, we hired a head-hunter, someone like you (but not you)!

The recruiter found a qualified candidate from a direct competitor. The candidate did not have a non-compete or a non-solicitation agreement, they called on similar or the same end users and/or A&D firms and they even knew most of our dealers! This was a perfect candidate, I thought. We use a third-party evaluation service at our company (what they used to call ‘testing,’) and they aced it, the references were great and long story short, we made an extremely generous financial offer. Here I was thinking viola!  Instead, I got ‘thanks but no thanks.’

The candidate was very professional and shared with the recruiter that the offer was great, but when they thought about the prospect of changing jobs, they realized they had a great job already and made good money. (It’s hard to argue with that!) Simply, they decided not to make a change, and I was shocked.

That’s because we went through six, maybe more, interviews with this candidate, and I thought they had plenty of time to mull over whether they wanted to make a change or not. A little disoriented, I told the recruiter I would call the candidate directly and she encouraged me to. She said, sometimes hearing directly from the hiring manager could persuade the candidate to a ‘yes.’

I got a really professional response from the candidate explaining they recognized that they went through a number of interviews with my company and appreciated the time we spent. They respected our brand. But through the course of the interview process, they began to appreciate, slowly and slowly, more and more, how much they liked the job they already had. They weren’t expecting nor did they ask for a counteroffer from their current job, they just decided they wanted to stay put.

After talking to the candidate, I realized I lost not only a good salesperson but actually a great potential employee, someone with strong character, which has only made me feel even more frustrated. There is nothing worse than being rejected. What I’m writing for is your advice, since I covered all of our bases, can you say anything to make me feel better? And what could I have done differently to close this hire?

Signed,
Left At the Offer

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Dear Left,

Being ‘left at the offer’ is like being ‘left at the altar.’ My advice is pretty simple, sometimes it’s just not meant to be. A job is like a relationship, and yes -- there’s nothing worse than being rejected, but everything happens for a reason. I know none of these cliches will make you feel better, but it’s also the truth. . . That being said, there are several things you should have done differently.

There are a couple of lessons to be learned here. One is, especially when you’re using an outside recruiting service, you should be requesting from them at all times that they be juggling two to three finalists. You should never, under any circumstances, have just one good candidate, you always want at least two. Everyone needs a plan B, even when it comes to hiring.

Secondly, never be naïve enough to think that just because someone is interviewing with you a number of times, that they’re looking to change jobs. Good candidates, especially in sales, have strong egos; they want to get the offer, even if they don’t plan on taking it. Think of it this way – getting an offer is just like getting an order. Once they get the offer they’re satisfied; it makes them feel good. Speaking of ego – it’s not always about you or your company, either, some people just like where they work.


Now, Left at the Offer, I’m not finished with you yet. I have even more advice! So, let’s call this the other side of my ‘advice coin.’ Here we go --

Unemployment remains at an all time low in the United States. Despite constant talk of tariffs and people’s concern about business uncertainty, everyone is still hiring. The candidates are still controlling the hiring market. So, if you want to outsmart a candidate and increase your chances of getting a ‘yes,’ I have three simple words for you that should be part of every company’s job offer today: Sign. On. Bonus.


A generous sign on bonus increases a candidate’s chances of saying yes to any job offer by 50%. Why? My experience is because it’s totally unexpected; it throws them off. It’s free money and practically no one can resist it. I have no doubt about sign on bonuses working because most companies do not offer them. Those companies who do offer sign on bonuses can get even the most loyal candidate to a ‘yes.’

I guarantee it.

Signed,
Stephen

 

Stephen Viscusi is the founder of www.viscusigroup.com, an executive search firm that specializes in the interior furnishings industry. Hires made through The Viscusi Group are guaranteed a one-year free replacement. Please share your story or comment on this article and send your workplace questions to stephen@viscusigroup.com. Or give us a call at (212) 979-5700 ext. 101.

 

© Stephen Viscusi 2025


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