If there’s anything that the cast-offs contestants on The Bachelor franchise have proven time and again, it’s that rejection can not only blindside you…but also straight-up feel like a punch in the face.
And recruiters and employers like you are no different when rejected. When your strongest candidate rejects your offer, you experience a flood of emotions, and then you go through the following phases…
First, you test them to see if they’re truly serious about saying “no”…
Then you go into a brief state of denial…
Once you realize you have to face reality, you experience a healthy amount of anger…
And a dose of grief that you weren’t expecting, so you throw yourself a little pity party…
But you try to play it cool…
You may even inadvertently take out your frustration on some innocent co-workers…
You tell the candidate to keep in touch, but you know that won’t happen…
Nevertheless, you mourn the end of an era and realize you have to stay strong and move on…
And just like that, you are ready to start searching again…
How do you react? Tweet your response GIFs and tag @CBforEmployers.
In return, remember how you feel when you are rejecting a candidate.
Learn more about how to give candidates the kind of experience that will make them want to work for you with in-depth insights from CareerBuilder’s Candidate Behavior Study.