Cindavi

We all agreed. And it still fell apart. We lost the candidate. Senior Manufacturing Engineer. 8 years of experience. Led multiple product launches. Exactly what the team said they needed. Comp was approved. Hiring manager was bought in. Next steps were scheduled. But alignment never actually happened. No clear decision owner or urgency. So the process slowed - interviews got delayed and feedback did too. Two weeks pass, and the candidate called us. "I took another offer. Appreciate your hard work." The hiring manager didn't do anything wrong per se, but the lack of alignment cost him a great hire. Agreement feels productive. Alignment prevents damage. Without alignment, agreement doesn’t reduce risk. It multiplies it. #Hiring #Recruiting #Leadership

"What compensation are you looking for?" "$140k base minimum." "Understood. Let's see how the process goes." My software engineering candidate then completed: ▶️ Technical screening with senior engineers ▶️ Product design interview ▶️ Behavioral round with VP of Engineering ▶️ Final culture fit with upper management & President Five weeks of enthusiasm. Perfect chemistry. Clear mutual interest. Then the offer call: "We're thrilled to extend you an offer!" "That's great news. What's the compensation?" "$115k with full benefits." Long pause. "I stated $140k minimum in our very first conversation. That's still my requirement." "We were hoping once you met the team and saw the mission, you'd be flexible." "I loved the team and the mission. But I was clear about my number from day one." They passed. The VP reached out to me later: "They seemed so excited. Why weren't they willing to negotiate?" The game some companies play: ▶️ Avoid the number. Build investment. Drop a lowball and hope the sunk cost keeps them from walking. What actually happens: ▶️ Candidates feel manipulated and walk away angry, even when everything else was perfect. Ever had a company try to lowball you after you'd invested weeks? 👇 #offers #compensation #hiring #candidateexperience

"If you'd shared the salary range earlier, I wouldn't have gone through this entire process." ... complete silence on the call. My candidate had just wrapped three rounds of interviews. ▶️ Exceptional feedback from every interviewer. ▶️ The team was genuinely excited about the "ideal hire." And I was about to tank everyone's enthusiasm with an offer that was nowhere close... That moment changed my entire approach to recruiting. Now I open every initial screening the exact same way: "Before we get into anything else, what salary range are you targeting?" Some recruiters think it's too abrupt. Some candidates feel uncomfortable. But you know what's actually uncomfortable? Burning 6 hours on interview rounds when the deal was never viable from the start. The hard truth: ▶️ An exceptional candidate wanting $20K over your maximum isn't a "let's see." ▶️ It's a "no" that's just costing you more the longer you wait. The candidate feels deceived. The hiring manager feels frustrated. You feel incompetent. Skip the pain. Address money immediately. Your candidates will appreciate you. Your hiring managers will appreciate you. Your time will appreciate you. What's your approach - salary discussion first, or hold off until later? #recruiting #compensation #hiring #transparency

“We thought they’d be further along by now.” That’s what the manager said three months after a new hire started. The candidate wasn’t junior. They weren’t underqualified. They weren’t disengaged. They were confused. Here’s what actually happened: 🔵 Week 1: “Focus on learning the process.” 🔵 Week 3: “We really need speed right now.” 🔵 Week 6: “Why isn’t this your top priority?” 🔵 Week 9: “This isn’t the output we expected.” The expectations didn’t change all at once. They shifted quietly. Week by week. Without being said out loud. So the employee kept aiming at a target that kept moving. Leadership started questioning capability. The employee started second guessing themselves. Neither was the real issue. Here’s the truth most teams miss: 🔵 You can coach skill gaps 🔵 You can fix process issues 🔵 You cannot succeed in a role where priorities are unclear When everything feels important, nothing actually is. When feedback lacks context, performance looks worse than it is. If a role feels messy after someone starts, it’s usually not a people problem. It’s a clarity problem. Before evaluating talent, teams need to answer this honestly: If you asked three stakeholders what “winning” looks like in this role right now, would they give you the same top three priorities in the same order? #Hiring #Leadership #RoleClarity #Recruiting

"What are you making in your current role?" 💰 The candidate redirected smoothly. "I'd rather focus on what this position should pay given its scope and market conditions. What's your budget range?" The hiring manager wasn't having it: "We need your current comp to benchmark a competitive offer." "I appreciate that, but I'd prefer to anchor the conversation around market value for this specific role, not my compensation history." Here's where it went sideways... The candidate had done extensive research. With 7 years in medical device manufacturing and specialized FDA validation expertise, they understood their market worth and wanted to negotiate from that position - not from their underpaid previous role. The hiring manager interpreted this as difficult. We proceeded with other candidates. That engineer? Accepted an offer two weeks later - 28% increase, better benefits, same specialty. Four months later, we're still interviewing for that position - and the market rate has only climbed. What I learned: The strongest candidates understand that where you've been paid doesn't define where you should be paid. #compensation #negotiation #hiring #talentacquisition

The strongest candidate disengaged first. Not dramatically. Not angrily. Quietly. The process was still moving. Interviews were still being scheduled. No one thought anything was wrong. But the questions changed. Instead of asking about the role, they started asking about timing. 🔹 “What does the rest of the process look like?” 🔹 “How long do decisions usually take?” 🔹 “Is this still a priority?” Nothing had gone wrong. The process had just slowed. A week later, they accepted another offer. Not because it was better. Because it was clearer. The weaker candidates were still there. Still available. Still waiting. Strong candidates don’t disengage loudly. They disengage early. They don’t wait for certainty. They move toward it. In hiring, momentum isn’t about rushing. It’s about clarity. #Hiring #CandidateExperience #Leadership

“If it takes a resignation to get promoted, it isn’t a promotion.” My candidate had accepted our offer and was preparing to transition... ...then her current employer went into damage control mode. "We'll give you the team lead position. Plus equity. Plus the flexible schedule you wanted. Don't go." She called me conflicted: ☎️ "They're finally giving me what I've been fighting for. Maybe I should reconsider?" I asked her one thing: "How many times did you bring this up in your last three performance reviews?" ...pause... "Every single time. They said it wasn't in the cards." Right. She accepted the counteroffer. The package was exactly what she'd been asking for. Four months later, my phone rang. "The team lead title is just on paper. No real authority. No budget decisions. And my manager keeps making comments about my 'loyalty issues.'" Eight months in, she was part of a "restructuring." Her role was eliminated. Here's what counteroffers really are: ▶️ Companies don't suddenly recognize your value. ▶️ They're buying time to replace you on their terms. There's a massive difference. #careers #counteroffers #resignation #careerdevelopment

Silence during hiring is still a decision. Not responding to feedback is a decision. Not scheduling the next interview is a decision. Letting days pass without communication is a decision. To candidates, silence doesn’t feel neutral. It feels like risk. Here’s what usually happens when communication goes quiet 👇 ➡️ Interest starts to fade ➡️ Confidence in the role drops ➡️ Other conversations move faster Most teams don’t intend to stall a search. They’re just waiting for clarity, alignment, or the “right time.” But from the outside, waiting looks the same as walking away. If you’re not ready to say yes or no yet, that’s fine. Just say that. Because in hiring, silence doesn’t buy you time. It spends credibility. #Hiring #CandidateExperience #Leadership

Tuesday: He interviewed. Thursday: Rejection email arrived. "We've decided to move forward with other candidates." Within an hour, he responded: "Thanks for the update. Would you mind sharing any feedback on how I could strengthen my candidacy for future opportunities?" Two weeks passed. Nothing. He sent a polite follow-up. Silence. A month later, he saw the company repost the identical role. Here's what clicked for him: ▶️ A company that won't invest 2 minutes in feedback after you gave them 2 hours of your time has shown you their values. He added them to a list in his notes app. ▶️ Never apply here again. The pattern tells the whole story: ▶️ How they treat you when rejecting you is exactly how they'll treat you when employing you. Ever asked for interview feedback and gotten complete radio silence? 👇 #interviews #feedback #candidateexperience #recruiting

"Can we reschedule? I'm at the ER with my kid." 😰 The text arrived at 1:56pm. Interview start time: 2:00pm. The hiring manager's immediate reaction: "Pass. That's completely disrespectful." Something made me pause before agreeing. I called the candidate. Their 6-year-old had fallen at school. Possible concussion. They were sitting in an ER waiting room, sending texts between triage check-ins. "I'm so sorry. I should have called sooner but everything happened in a blur and I was panicking." We moved the interview to the following week. They showed up 10 minutes early. Apologized profusely. Absolutely nailed every question. Two years later, they're still with the company. Perfect attendance record. Outstanding performance. What I took away from this: ▶️ First impressions reveal something ▶️ They don't reveal everything. The candidate canceling at 1:56pm might be flaky - or might be managing a genuine crisis. The play: ▶️ Ask questions before making assumptions. Have you ever had to cancel an interview last-minute? Or been the hiring manager in this situation? How did it play out? 👇 #hiring #interviews #leadership #empathy