I recently spoke with a hiring manager who was contacted by a recruiting prospect he’d interviewed four months earlier. Early in the conversation, the prospect revealed the reason for her call: I think I made a mistake… This was great news because the hiring manager was disappointed to have previously lost this opportunity to a competitor. According to Jobvite’s Recruiting Benchmark Study, this happens more than you might think: 43% of new hires leave a job because it wasn’t what they were expecting. This data should change your behavior in a couple of ways. Those you previously interviewed are worth contacting 3 to 6 months after they are hired by a competitor. Most agents will not reach back out to you (this hiring manager was fortunate), but they will reveal their dissatisfaction if you can get them talking. It’s also worth noting how vulnerable your own new hires are during the first few months on your team. If your promises are not being kept, they’ll be disappointed and look for other options. Expectations are powerful—especially when they’re not being met.