Candidate Deliverability: Will Your Candidate Really Accept?

A deliverable candidate is one who will accept the offer if the client makes it. Test that before you present them, not after: confirm a real reason to move, support from the people at home, a compensation target the client can meet, where they stand with other processes and how they'd respond to a counteroffer. A strong candidate who won't accept costs the client time and costs you credibility.

Why test deliverability before you present?

When you present a candidate, you're telling the client this person is worth their time. If the candidate then turns down the offer, the client has lost weeks, and you may have lost the search. Clients remember the recruiters whose candidates accept. Testing early also spares candidates a process they were never going to finish.

What makes a candidate deliverable?

• A real reason to move. A problem in their current job that this role solves, not just curiosity.
• Support at home. A partner who knows about the search and supports the change, especially if it means a longer commute or relocation.
• Compensation that works. A target inside what the client can pay, including what they'd leave behind. See talking compensation with candidates.
• A clear view of the competition. Other interviews, offers and internal promotions in play.
• Resistance to a counteroffer. They've decided what they'd say if their employer offers more. Our guide to preparing candidates for counteroffers covers that conversation.
• Timing that fits. Notice period, a bonus payout date and personal commitments.

What questions test it?

• "If they offered you this job tomorrow at the number we discussed, would you take it?"
• "Who else is involved in this decision, and what do they think?"
• "What else are you interviewing for, and how does this compare?"
• "What would your manager do if you resigned?"
• "When could you start, and is anything coming up that would change that?"

Ask these before you present, and again after each interview. Answers that get vaguer over time are a warning.

What are the warning signs?

• Slow replies or rescheduled calls once the process gets serious.
• A target number that keeps climbing.
• "I just want to see what's out there."
• A partner who hasn't been told.
• New reasons to stay that weren't there on the first call.

What do you do when a candidate looks risky?

Raise it with the candidate directly, and be honest with the client about the risk if you still present them. Sometimes the right move is to present a slightly less polished candidate who will actually accept. Keep each candidate's stage current on the job order and log every conversation, so you notice when engagement starts to slip. identifyd tracks every candidate from Presented through Hired, with the full touch history on each record.