Do you wonder how to deal with a situation when a candidate doesn’t show up for an interview, or on a start date or even disappears after receiving a job offer?

If these situations resonate with you, then continue reading this article. I am going to discuss why candidates drop off the radar during the hiring process and how you can minimize such situations.

Now, let me first explain what candidate ghosting is.

Candidate ghosting refers to the candidates who simply disappear during the hiring process without communicating anything about it.

Moving along,

Now, understand why candidates ghost employers or recruiters per se.

I have six main reasons why candidates ghost employers.

Before we get into details, let me tell you that there is no particular stage of hiring when candidate ghosting happens the most. It may occur during any of the hiring stages.

Alright!

1. Misfit job description and a candidate’s skill set: These days, applying to job posts has become easier with just one-click feature at most job sites as a result most applicants apply in batches to several jobs without carefully reading through the job descriptions.

On top of that, sometimes applicants even forget who they have applied to. When they actually get a prescreen email or a call from a recruiter, they look through the job description thoroughly and if their skill sets doesn’t match with the required skills, or if the logistic requirements don’t align with their expectations such as preference for full remote work, then they simply remove themselves from the hiring process without informing employers.

2. Multiple job options: Most talented candidates hold more than one job offer, get a counter offer from their current employer or expect to receive some great offer soon.

Sometimes, choosing between two jobs can get competitive and candidates would prefer to avoid getting into tough conversations with recruiters.

Just so you know, this behavior of avoiding disappointment is common across all age-groups of candidates.

3. Disorganized hiring process: When a hiring process is either too slow or too lengthy, most candidates lose interest and are drawn to competitors, and thus they drop off in between the hiring process.

4. Ineffective communication from recruiters or hiring managers: When recruiters don’t communicate well or don’t respond on time, candidates assume that you are no longer interested in them.

Poor communication, lack of engagement, unmanaged expectations about the role, compensation, company’s culture, career path and so on put off many candidates, and consequently they disappear from the hiring process.

5. Bad employer’s brand name: When candidates don’t find good reviews on company over the job review sites like Glassdoor and Google, they opt out from the process.

6. Change of candidate’s priorities: When personal preference comes over professional commitments, sometimes candidates get sidetracked, and either they forget or don’t have time to get back to you.

This leads me to talk about how you as a recruiter can limit such situations?

Let me tell you, there is no one hundred percent proof for keeping job candidates from ghosting, but there are a few ways to reduce its frequency.

1. Truly connect with your candidates: Having specific communication with your candidates is key across all the hiring stages, from the initial outreach to until a new hire onboards. For this,

(i) Set the expectation right upfront: Develop a transparent relationship with your candidates. Providing as much clarity around schedules, the compensation, a realistic job preview and non-negotiable aspects of the job helps prevent ghosting.

(ii) Make yourself approachable: Add a personal touch in your conversations with candidates, like discussing a hobby or similar interest. If they’re connected to you personally, they’re going to be less likely to ghost you.

Plus, let them know that it's okay if a situation changes at their end. You would rather appreciate them letting you know upfront if they have something else going on at their end.

This way, they will be less likely to ghost the process when they find another better opportunity. Bad news is far better than no news when it comes to hiring.

2. Streamline your interview process:

(i) Advise your hiring managers to limit the number of interview rounds say 3 to 4 at max, and provide interview feedback to candidates as soon as possible. If you leave a candidate with no feedback after an interview, the chances of being ghosted would increase.

(ii) Be flexible with interview scheduling: Be open to conduct interviews off hours for some talents who can’t take time off during office hours; especially when you are securing your top candidates.

(iii) Regular follow up before and after each stage of an interview: Send candidates interview reminders a day before and on the day of interview an hour early, as they might get loose track of it.

Also, let your candidates know to inform you in case they want the interview to be rescheduled. Do this only when you are in constant touch with your candidate and know that there might be some genuine reasons for no show. Otherwise, if you follow this approach with every other candidate, you may end up rescheduling interviews.

Constant followups help you raise a flag when their behavior toward you changes erratically. In such situation, reach out with an email or their preferred mode of communication and highlight that they don’t seem as excited as they were earlier. Ask them if something has changed or if they have any concerns that you can talk about?

3. Stay responsive until a new hire onboards:

The hiring process doesn’t stop when a candidate accepts your offer. As mentioned, candidates juggle multiple interviews and there is a possibility that other offers arrived after they have accepted yours.

Therefore, maintain communication during this time, let HM talk to them and show what a workday looks like at your company, show excitement to have them on team for that inclusiveness. Plus, address concerns if they have any.

Some companies issue their on-boarding materials before a candidate starts to keep them engaged. They get the paperwork, have the email address and laptop ready, and have well-planned onboarding orientation scheduled to set them up for the first day of a job. This makes them feel valued and included.

4. Move on: There’s always going to be someone who will ghost no matter how much thorough followups you do. Anything can happen with your candidate, from just being not a good candidate to a serious emergency.

Send your candidate a final email or text to reach out to you in case they stuck in some unforeseen situation. If you still don't hear back for a week, I would recommend that you move on with some other potential candidates.

With that, now you have a clear understanding why candidates ghost and what to do to prevent it.

If you still have any questions regarding candidate’s ghosting, reach out to me at nikita.mehrotra@therecruitmentinsights.com . I would love to help:)