We hope you are ready for our next batch of spooktacular hiring horror stories because we are going straight for the sweet spot: candidate tricks and treats. So grab your favorite Halloween candy – *cough cough* Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins – and dive into some of our favorite fringe benefit requests that we’ve gotten from testy talent!
“I placed a candidate who was being relocated from California to North Carolina. At one point he declined the offer because the new company wouldn’t pay an additional $15k to move his boat cross country. I had asked during the process how his wife and kids felt about moving but never thought to ask if he had anything outside the ‘norm’ for relocation. Lesson learned – I always ask if they have a boat!”
“I once placed a guy as an HR professional for a client. I helped him find a position that was exactly what he wanted AND a big pay raise. The position was closer to home for him and better career trajectory. Certainly a home run for him. After he started, I emailed him to check in on his first week. His email reply was astonishing – he said it’s going well and not-so-humbly requested that I send him a gift card as a ‘congratulations’ on the placement! Wait, so I just hooked YOU up with a great job, got you a cushy pay raise, cut your commute in half, and put you on the short track to promotion – and you want ME to give YOU a gift card as congratulations? Certainly a headscratcher.”
Don’t let greedy candidates ruin your Halloween fun this year. Remember that in the end, you hold the candy bowl – so you ultimately get to decide which candidates get the Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins, and which ones get the bags of crushed pretzels.