Why Great Candidates Walk Away — and Never Tell You Why

They liked the role. They liked the company. But they walked away. Why?

At the executive level, most hiring processes look solid on paper: a well-known brand, a compelling job title, competitive salary, and a clear brief. But even when everything “ticks the boxes,” the best candidates sometimes quietly opt out.

They’ll never say it outright — especially in a small market like New Zealand. But as the ones sitting between your business and that top-tier talent, we hear it all the time. And what they’re really thinking can surprise you.

They liked the role. They liked the company. But they walked away. At ARC Partners, we hear what others don’t — and help you fix it.

“The CEO talks too much. I didn’t get a word in.”

Senior candidates aren’t just assessing the role — they’re assessing leadership. If your executive interviews are more monologue than dialogue, it can signal a lack of curiosity or control. Great leaders know when to stop selling and start listening.

“The brief felt woolly.”

Top performers don’t want to be told to ‘just make it happen’. They want clarity on scope, strategic expectations, and what success looks like in 12 months. If the brief is vague, it reads as risk — not opportunity.

“They want change, but not too much.”

This one comes up often. Clients say they want transformation, but when candidates start asking hard questions, they hit walls of defensiveness or legacy thinking. Top-tier talent doesn’t want to push against inertia forever.

“It didn’t feel like a two-way process.”

Even the most senior candidates want to feel wanted. If interviews feel transactional — or if there’s a long silence between stages — it can leave a sour note. At this level, engagement is everything.

So, what can you do?

You won’t always hear this feedback directly — but we will. That’s part of what we bring to the table at ARC. partners. We're not just passing on CVs; we’re gathering the nuance, reading the room, and helping shape the process so both sides feel aligned.

In a market like New Zealand, where reputations travel fast and talent is scarce, getting the experience right matters.

We’ll help you get it right — and we’ll let you know when something’s going off-track.