Top tips to avoid candidate 'ghosting'
Across all sectors, recent research from CIPD and Omni RMS has found that 27% of employers have had new starters fail to turn up for their first day at work. Even before hiring a successful candidate, employers will have experienced candidates who don't attend an interview after applying, or who do attend but are then uncontactable when you want to offer them the job. This obstacle has been called candidate 'ghosting' - where an otherwise suitable candidate simply stops being contactable at various stages of the recruitment process.
Ghosting is of course frustrating for employers and recruitment staff, but it also increases your costs. Every candidate that you spend time interviewing incurs a recruitment cost and this then has to be incurred a second time if an otherwise suitable candidate becomes unavailable part way through the process. There are also implications for service delivery, for example where there is a delay in filling a role or when last minute cover must be found for an employee you thought was starting with you but who doesn't turn up. Resulting from this, there's also an impact on the morale of your existing team when hopes of new recruits don't materialise.
While it might be tempting to see candidate ghosting as frustrating but unavoidable, there are steps that you can take to reduce the chances of good candidates going quiet.
1. Be clear about the role from the start
Having a clear advert is essential to getting the right candidates to apply. Some of those who start the process but go on to 'ghost' may do so because they have realised the role isn't right for them. If your role requires working weekends but this isn't clear in the advert, you may receive applications from candidates who later decide not to attend an interview or who attend but then don't want the job. This also applies to the responsibilities of the role, so its important to clearly outline what the role involves in the advert. The fewer surprises that the candidate hears about at interview, the less chance there is of them deciding not to see the recruitment process through. If you can't fully explain the role in an advert without making it too long, consider outlining the role as far as possible and inviting candidates to call you to discuss it further before interview stage. You might also want to consider having someone else review your job adverts, as what is clear to you might not be clear to someone unfamiliar with your setting.
2. Streamline your hiring process
Keeping your hiring process as fast paced as possible will keep candidates engaged. The time from when a candidate sends their CV or application to the day they start working with you should be as short as possible. This means you should avoid collecting lots of applications before reviewing them, because many of those who applied early on may have taken a role somewhere else by the time they hear from you. After reviewing applications, you should aim to interview candidates promptly and offer interview times for the same week. This fast-paced process should be seen through every step of the recruitment process. For example, you might be able to offer candidates a role immediately after a successful interview, if you let them wait even a day or two, they may have received an offer from elsewhere.
3. Keep up regular communication with a candidate
It's no secret that candidates applying for your jobs may also be applying elsewhere. Ensuring that they go on to work for you rather than a competitor involves keeping them engaged in the process. Providing regular updates on how their application is going, from receipt of application right up to their starting day, will help ensure that they don't feel forgotten. Many of the steps in the recruitment process will be much more familiar to you than they are to your candidates, gaps in communication might be because you're processing their application, but a candidate could see this as a sign that they should look elsewhere. Ultimately, a candidate who feels that you have forgotten about them may well forget about you! This regular communication should go beyond just setting up stages of the process and aim to fill in any time gaps, for example reminding the applicant of their interview the day before will reduce the number of people who don't attend.
4. Where there must be a delay, set clear timeframes.
You wont always be able to have a successful candidate start immediately, there will be processes that need to take place before they can begin work, for example their DBS check. In situations where a delay in unavoidable, make sure that candidates know how long they can expect this to take so that they can be sure you are still keen for them to begin working with you. If you don't know exactly when a process will be completed, you can still tell the candidate when they will next hear from you. That call to let them know their DBS isn't back yet, but that you're still looking forward to their start date, will reduce the chances of them feeling forgotten and accepting a different role elsewhere.
5. Ensure candidates have a welcoming experience
Attending interviews and arriving for your first day can be daunting experiences for all of us. There are steps you can take to reduce the stress that a candidate might feel, and this will reduce the number of people who 'ghost' at various stages of the process. Adding a personal touch to your communication can help a candidate feel more comfortable, if they've spoken to one of your team on the phone before their interview day, they may be more likely to attend than if they have only received an email. You should also make sure that they have all the information they need to make attending the interview a straightforward process, for example they may be wondering where to park when they arrive, who they will be interviewed by, or how much time they should allow for the interview. Although there are processes you need to follow, you can also make some of the interview an informal experience. This might involve giving them a tour, providing tea and biscuits or chatting about things not directly related to the role. Providing a welcoming experience at interview stage will mean candidates are more likely to leave feeling positive, which of course makes them more likely to come back when you offer them the job.
These steps each play a part in reducing the likelihood of a candidate 'ghosting' at various stages of the recruitment process. The theme among them is creating a positive experience and keeping candidates informed at each step, this prevents mismatched expectations or unexplained delays that can lead to a candidate feeling forgotten and accepting work elsewhere. Of course, it may not be the case that you can successfully see all suitable candidates through to their start date, but taking the steps above could reduce the number of candidates who 'ghost' and those candidates who have unavoidable reasons for not starting with you will be more likely to let you know early on.
References:
Stephen Forster - stephen@thecaresocialnetwork.co.uk
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