Imagine this scenario: Interviews are finally over, and the best candidate has accepted your job offer and agreed on a start date. Then she calls to reschedule, saying something’s come up. Next week, she pushes the date back again.
The manager’s dilemma: This candidate was the most qualified and the company had high hopes for her. But the manager is frustrated and worried she’ll never come in.
What do you do: Give her another week, or say “no thanks” and call the second person on your list?
We asked three HR managers how they’d handle this problem:
Response #1: I’d rather go with our second choice, who may not have seemed like the best candidate, but hopefully he or she will be professional enough to stick with the planned start date. It sounds like the original candidate is going to have serious attendance problems, if she ever shows up at all.
Response #2: To me, it sounds like the new hire is interviewing at other companies and stringing us along just in case. Even if she does come to work, she’ll probably leave quickly. I’d call our number two before that person accepts another job.
Response #3: I wouldn’t want to jump to any conclusions about our new hire. She may have a good reason for the delay — I’d have to call her and find out what happened. If it’s a one-time issue, like a death in the family, I’d give her another chance.
What about you — if you were in this situation, how would you handle it? Give us your opinion in the comments section below.
