Recruiting is an interesting dating process on both sides of the fence.

As the employer, you could see somebody who looks very interesting, but then you have concerns. You like the person so much, but now you wonder, "Will they really come onboard and join me? How can I scope that out?"

Here’s a question that can be used to flush it out.

How soon after accepting our offer would you be able to start with us?

What’s important to see here is not only the answer to the question, but how long does it take them to answer the question. The most ideal situation is they are able to it right away and you get something a long the lines of two weeks, which shows certainly some concern and decency towards their current employer.

What happens though when they take a little time to answer that question? Then the meter starts running. The longer it takes in time, the less certainty you can have that they would actually come on board and join you. If they’re taking a while to answer this question, it can be a pretty good sign that there’s something else going on in the back of their mind that they haven’t told you about. Among some of the possibilities:

1. Their going to be going back to their current employer and trying to upgrade the offer, upgrade their current situation. You may just be a stalking horse.

2. They’ve got other things in the fire and they need time to pull them all together. One of the challenges in a job search is getting offers to come together at the same time. You just might be the early bird and they’re still playing the field.

3. Maybe they’re not really serious about looking at this time. They may be just kicking the tires some, but when push comes to shove they go back to their comfort zone.

4. There might be something about your offer or your company that they aren’t quite happy about and it hasn’t come out on the table yet.

5. They may not be that decisive. Even though your situation could be better, when somebody else has an offer as well to them, they have a hard time choosing.

When you sense you’re getting that stall and there’s some uncertainty in that answer try to flush it out, bring it to a head, have them explain why it took a little time to answer that question, have them explain to you why they seemed hesitant.

So there you have it. When you’re facing an uncertain recruit, see what you can do to flush it out and use this question to get to the bottom of it rather than leave yourself hanging, giving an offer to somebody who later backs out on you.

Jon Paul, MBA, CPA, CMC, CM&AA

President, Value Added Finance Resources
Bringing new insights on results and maximizing company value