Infographic: What’s Causing Jobseekers to Get Cold Feet?

In a candidate-driven market, the last thing you want to hear from a potential new hire is that he or she is turning down your offer to go somewhere else, but sadly this is still the reality among many recruiters. Here’s why.
In a recent Robert Half survey, more than a quarter of workers (28%) said they have backed out of an offer after initially saying “yes.” The top cities where workers have gone back on their word include San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Houston, Texas.
“Having cold feet is understandable; ghosting an employer is unacceptable,” says Paul McDonald, Senior Executive Director for Robert Half—in a press release. “Even though it may seem easier to avoid an awkward situation, transparency is always the best policy during a job search.”
McDonald pointed out that how candidates handle such situations can affect their career prospects. “Explaining you changed your mind about a job offer won’t be good news to hear, but the employer will appreciate your communication and candor. If you handle the situation unprofessionally, however, it can reflect negatively on you personally and follow you in future job searches.”
In fact, we know this firsthand as many respondents in a recent Recruiting Daily Advisor survey say when a candidate ghosts them, they’ll flag the candidate in the company’s applicant tracking system to avoid being ghosted twice. Learn how your recruiting peers handle ghosting in the new survey report: Recruiting in the Age of Record-Low Unemployment.
The infographic below highlights more key findings from Robert Half’s latest survey.