Damage Control:
How to Handle Candidate Rejection
By: Christine Hirsch

Let's face it, rejection flows both ways. For the hiring manager, rejection is a normal part of the candidate selection process. However, in today's job market, candidates are delivering rejections as well. When a candidate rejects an offer, it can feel like a true setback. Blame tends to fly and confusion sets in. How do you pick up the pieces and reengage the team in the hiring process? Your ability to lead the team and quickly refocus efforts on hiring will be critical to bringing an alternate candidate on board.

After a candidate rejects an offer, the recruiter's focus should be on rebounding from the loss. This is not so easy as recruiters work hard to get a candidate hired and the process is rarely short and simple. A lost candidate represents months of lost work, but its important to remember that rejection is par for the course in recruiting. Despite the rejection, you still have to get the job done. Also, after a candidate rejects an offer, all is rarely forsaken. Though it may feel like you'll have to reinvent the wheel, this is rarely the case. The leads and insights gathered in the initial hiring exercise will put you ahead as you recruit a replacement.

Read the full article on handling candidate rejection
http://www.recruitersworld.com/Articles/rw/christine/damagecontrol.asp