The Lone Ranger, by Frank Mulligan, Talent Software

When a job candidate in China tells an in-house recruiter or outside recruitment consultant, íHang on a second....í trouble is bound to follow.

This is not necessarily the case in every country. In employer markets like Germany and France, a candidate might just be reflicting on his situation before he finally puts pen to paper. Not necessarily a cause for alarm.

In China, a candidateís market, íhang oní spells big trouble. Usually the problem is on the candidate side. This could be a better offer or simply the fact that a friend just pointed out that the offer on the table is a little ílightí. Or the candidate might finally have realised that changing jobs every one or two years is not necessarily in their interest.

Sometimes itís an internal company issue. Something that shouldnít really happen at this late stage, but often seems to.

Common scenarios that we have seen include:

Internal company politics that involve managers fighting each other for control. Candidates are often ícollateral damageí.

Management changes that seem to invite the new manager to sweep out all previous staff, and negate committed hiring decisions. Why is this temptation always so attractive? And more importantly, why is it allowed by more senior managers?

Strategic decisions that filter down through the organisation slowly. Specifically, hiring freezes that kick in after someone has been given an offer.

HR Managers who need to show their power. íShould we really be paying this person so much? This will cause friction for X and Y. Please reduce the offer immediately or quietly delete some of the perks.í

Line Managers who fear strong candidates íSorry, I checked, we cannot afford this offer in next yearís budget. I know I promised but ... í

What ever the reason, most of these issues are solved if the team is in alignment with the corporate goals. It doesnít even matter too much what these goals are.

Just so long as team members stop acting like the Lone Ranger.

by Frank Mulligan, Talent Software