Because our recruitment processes are rigorous and we take time and effort to do a number of onboarding checks thoroughly, there can be some delay between the preferred candidate being offered the post and them actually starting the job.
A delay of weeks or even months can also occur because of the candidate having to give due notice to their previous employers.
Keeping in touch also helps them to feel engaged with their new employer, and where there are a number of other job opportunities available to them, it reduces the chances of them withdrawing from the post while they wait.
Your help may be needed in prompting the candidate to chase up their references, if these are proving difficult to obtain.
There are many ways of keeping in touch and you should use whichever method is natural for you and them.
Depending on the nature of the job, you might like to give the candidate the opportunity to attend a work group meeting or other event if something suitable occurs in the period leading up to their start date, if that would be helpful to both sides.
The ability to find and recruit the right people can make all the difference to the team you manage. Finding the best team members is one of the most important things you do so it is worth putting in some effort to improve your chances of success.
It can sometimes happen that your first-choice candidate drops out of the recruitment procedure shortly after being offered the post for whatever reason. In such cases, if you had a number of suitable candidates who were of an appointable standard, you may wish to go to your second or even third choice if you feel they would be suitable for the post, and it is within six months.
It is acceptable to offer them the job in these circumstances if all members of the recruitment panel agree. If these circumstances don’t apply, you will need to readvertise the post and start the recruitment process again.