Imagine if your team spent months trying to recruit what you feel is the right employee for your company.
After hours of research, resume reviews, and interviews, your candidate seems to disappear into thin air. You can’t get in touch with them anymore.
This scenario depicts a rising trend in the workplace, known as candidate ghosting. Ghosting is a big issue for HR managers who built a rapport with a candidate and do not make the hire.
It also hurts businesses who get ready for a new employee that does not show up.
Here are a few things to keep in mind during the recruitment process to cut down on candidate ghosting.
Keeping Candidates Informed About Their Status
Be meticulous about where each prospective employee is in the application process. Yes, it can be hard to follow up all the time and keep in touch with applicants. But candidates who feel they have more of a connection with your company might be more inclined to accept an offer.
An easy way to keep track of potential hires is to send follow-up messages or get back in touch with a candidate who seems to have gone dark. Some companies set up automatic candidate tracking systems that give a rough timeframe for application review.
Shifting Conversations To Candidate Goals
Interviews give businesses clarity if a candidate might be the right fit for an open position. They also help prospective hires understand if the job is a good fit for their goals. Candidates who can share their professional and personal developmental goals during interviews will feel like the company is invested in their future. This lessens the possibility interviewees will fail to stay in contact down the road.
Ask For Closure
Some candidates ghost because they do not feel comfortable, or do not know how to tell a company they are not interested in the role anymore. Include language in job postings that tells candidates how they can drop out of the application process and let your company know not to keep following up.
Shorten Hiring Times
Candidates are more apt to ghost if a hiring process is long and drawn out. Consider taking advantage of technology like video conferencing platforms to avoid the complications of scheduling in-person interviews and arranging conference room time. A shorter interview process keeps candidates engaged and interested in the job role, reducing the potential of ghosting.
Having trouble with candidate ghosting and are curious about ways to avoid it?
We at FirstOption Workforce Solutions can help. Our team is happy to give advice so you can craft your recruitment and hiring process in a way that cuts down on ghosting.
Speak with FirstOption Workforce Solutions, contact us online to learn more.
