Asking to see "more options"​ when recruiting

Working in recruitment means frequent interactions with clients and candidates and navigating the process of bringing the two together. Often this can be done relatively smoothly, especially when the stars align and both parties fit each other’s expectations.

However, oftentimes either party may ask to review all options despite having previously stated that the opportunity or candidate is perfect for what they are looking for at that point in time, meaning salary, location, longevity, and other factors.

This makes sense as it is natural and reasonable to not jump at the first opportunity available and make sure that you are getting the right fit. The issues start to arise when the market and industry as a whole are taken into account.

Across the UK there is a shortage of skilled workers, and that shortage is even greater in specialist fields, such as facades. This means that someone looking to recruit within the facades sector may not be spoiled for choice off the bat, and if the perfect candidate comes through it should be understood that other employers will be looking to bring them onto the team and away from yourself. Stiff competition, all offering great opportunities, mean that time is of the essence and when you are presented with the right person for your company and role asking for alternatives who may not be as good or even available can result in wasted time, resources, and opportunities.

This can occur with candidates too and similar issues arise. While there is much less competition to fill roles at the moment with the market being understaffed as a whole, it should be remembered that a role may not exist forever. In searching for something better the window of opportunity may close leaving you worse off than before with opportunities that no longer match or exceed what is expected. There is also an element of short and long-term that must be considered when asking for other opportunities. A role may offer more in the short term but offer no room for development or progression, while the opportunity you may have turned it down for could have you exceeding expectations in a few years.

For both parties, an area that can become a conflict due to waiting to review is other options. No one likes to feel messed around and when waiting drags on for too long most would assume the opportunity has slipped by when in actuality it hasn’t. This may damage relations between everyone involved. Time is also important in an area such as construction as projects may be ongoing and extending the hiring process unnecessarily may have further consequences than damaging relations with a great candidate as it may cause delays and issues on site and within the company.

Quantifying when something is “perfect” is not always easy though and the perfect option for a business or individual may be a flexible concept that is as reliant on skills and experience, personality, culture, fit, and time. That is to say “perfect” may be temporary in both cases, though when it does appear it should be capitalised upon due to the rarity of such a circumstance.

With that in mind, Jobsocks helps achieve this desired outcome through a range of practices and designs. We offer a platform for users on either end to join and interact in search of the perfect fit based on our algorithms that match based on expectations.

Not everyone is like this though and it should be mentioned that this can be an inconvenient request, though not a common one as most people can appreciate when the perfect option reveals itself and capitalise on it.