Making Sure ‘Yes’ Means ‘Yes’ – How To Stop Candidates Reneguing

Getting a good accountant to accept your job offer can feel like the end of a long recruitment process. Unfortunately, it isn’t. 

Candidates reneging after accepting an offer is a growing problem. Technology has made it easier to apply for multiple roles and manage several recruitment processes at once. And an accepted offer doesn’t necessarily mean those other conversations have stopped.  It’s wildly frustrating as an employer! 

A recent webinar from Unseen Group looked at the psychology behind this problem, and identified four principles employers can use to reduce the likelihood of an accepted candidate changing their mind before they start with you. 

1. Create opportunities for commitment 

Rather than treating acceptance of the offer as the final commitment, create a series of smaller commitments between acceptance and starting. 

These “micro-commitments” build momentum. They might be as simple as completing an onboarding task, having a call with a future colleague or receiving a LinkedIn post they can share announcing their new role. 

That last example is particularly useful. Publicly telling their network that they are joining your firm makes the new job feel more real – and psychologically harder to walk away from. 

The objective isn’t to lock people in. It’s to keep them moving towards joining you rather than allowing the relationship to go quiet as soon as the contract is signed. 

2. Reduce uncertainty 

Starting a new job creates uncertainty, and uncertainty creates anxiety. 

Firms tend to concentrate on the big questions – role, salary, career progression – but candidates can be worrying about much smaller things. What should I wear? Where do I park? What will happen on my first morning? Who will I be sitting with? 

Good pre-onboarding removes as many of those unknowns as possible. 

FAQs, short videos from recent hires and opportunities to ask questions can all help. Even a simple email explaining exactly what will happen on day one can make the new environment feel considerably less unfamiliar. 

3. Build a sense of belonging 

People are more likely to want to join an organization when they already feel that they belong there. 

So don’t wait until day one to introduce them to the team. Arrange a coffee or video call with future colleagues, invite them to an appropriate social event, or introduce them to other people starting around the same time. 

A buddy can be particularly effective. Where possible, think about the match rather than simply allocating whoever is available. Someone with a shared background e.g. college alumni, outside work interest or professional experience can make that connection much easier to establish. 

4. Boost their confidence 

Candidates will not only wonder whether they have chosen the right firm – importantly the will wonder whether they will succeed there. 

Help reinforce their confidence in the decision. Stories from people who have successfully made a similar transition can be powerful. So can positive feedback during the recruitment and onboarding process. 

If someone performed particularly well during an interview or assessment, tell them. Remind them why you hired them. 

Not every hire carries the same risk 

These principles apply to both graduates and experienced hires, but the strategy needs to reflect the circumstances. 

Graduate recruitment can involve a six-month or longer gap between offer and start date, so maintaining commitment requires a much more deliberate programme of contact. 

With experienced accountants, the gap may only be a notice period – but the commercial risk can be much greater. Good experienced hires are difficult to find. If someone reneges, you may have lost weeks of recruitment effort and suddenly find yourself with a serious capacity problem. 

That makes the period after the candidate says yes an important part of recruitment, not an administrative gap before onboarding begins. 

At Accountests, we naturally spend a lot of time thinking about how firms make better hiring decisions through assessment. But a good selection process should also help create confidence on both sides. Candidates should understand why they were selected, what strengths they demonstrated and why the firm believes they can succeed. 

The hiring decision isn’t the finish line. Until your new hire actually walks through the door – or logs on – there is still work to do. 

This blog was inspired by a webinar from Unseen Group with Grant Thornton – hosted by Ben Williams, Nicola Sullivan and Holly Pearce.  For more information see the webinar handout.