If a candidate said something like this to me, personally, I would continue to look in other places.
If a candidate is coming in for an interview, you need to understand that there may be other options that they are exploring. In terms of job boards, for example, people tend to apply to a lot of jobs. Many times, you find people are simply throwing their résumé out there to see what sticks.
Looking at it from the candidate’s perspective, I understand why people do something like this. But it makes it difficult on the hiring manager side to find and evaluate a person who is really looking for a challenging job they can grow with, as opposed to someone who is just looking to increase their salary by 4%. So, if people are just fishing for jobs, you have to keep actively looking for the right person.
There has to be a good reason for a candidate to ask for time to consider, such as a change in location or a salary that was less than desired. But if there is not reason to reconsider, that candidate may not be too serious about the job. Then you just have to move on and continue to search.
At a small firm, one of the main things we look for in a candidate is the ability to make quick decisions and being able to stick with the decisions. They may not always be right, but you have to be able to make a decision and move on. You need to look for someone who wants that position and doesn’t have to deliberate too much.
Look for people who are self motivated, self directed, who don’t need to be micro-managed. At the end of the day, sometimes the only thing that really counts is a gut feeling about a candidate.
You can do all the testing in the world, but you won’t know how a hire really works until that person gets in the building.
