In an Indeed study, 78% of applicants admitted ghosting a potential employer. The same study further added that 40% of applicants were themselves ghosted by the employers in the second/third round of the recruitment process. Believe it or not, candidate ghosting is more like a plague that is slowly growing and recruiters aren’t happy about it. So, whose fault is it? Is it a tit-for-tat situation, a revenge of sorts? Can candidate ghosting be fixed at all? We will throw some light on the curious case of candidate ghosting and cover all the pressing questions around it, in this blog. Stick around.
The Phenomenon of Candidate Ghosting
Indulge us: you are an ideal recruiter who does everything by the book.
- Crafting engaging job posts, check.
- Attracting passive candidates with personalised messages, check.
- Screening and identifying the right candidates effortlessly, check.
But, when it’s interview O’clock, half of the candidates you so diligently gathered don't turn up. It isn’t an error; it’s a recruiter's nightmare. This is Candidate Ghosting. Today, ghosting isn’t limited to dating but has exceeded leaps and bounds to the recruitment experience. It has become a common practice today for candidates, who seemed like the perfect green flag, to cease to exist on the day of the interview. They suddenly stop responding to emails, calls and texts and practically vanish with no means for the recruiters to reach them.
How Candidate Ghosting Hurts Recruiters?
The entire concept of ghosting saw a steep rise during the mid-2010 when social media started to curve the way people interacted, engaged and met. This new idea of a ghost gained more than a fair share of notoriety and made its way to the Merriam-Webster dictionary by 2017. Today, it’s an active part of a recruiter's life and one cannot deny the difficulties such instances cause them.
- For one, when a candidate suddenly pfft away, all the effort and time that recruiters put into attracting and engaging the candidates throughout the initial hiring process turns to dust.
- Recruiters also have to face the embarrassment from their clients who specifically remove time from their schedule to execute the interview process. It affects client relations and builds trust issues between the agency and the employer.
- Lastly, it’s quite disheartening too. Recruiters or hiring managers have to get back up, dust off the issue and, many times, restart the process from the beginning.
Why Do Recruiters Experience Candidate Ghosting?
Where candidate ghosting was at 18% in 2019, 28% of candidates agreed that they ghosted an employer in 2021, claims study. The number has only gone up in recent years. There are some very prominent reasons why even the most valued applicants take this path.
Candidate Experiences
52% of candidates declined a job offer owing to a bad candidate experience and 53% of the candidates also explained that they were ghosted by the employer during the hiring process.
- From lengthy application processes to not updating candidates on their status for weeks, a negative candidate experience directly affects an applicant’s thought process and pushes them to ghost the recruiter mid-way.
- From a personal standpoint, they could also be more open to ghosting if they have experienced employer ghosting first-hand.
Preventing Conflict
When there is a sudden change of mind and the job seeker is already quite ahead in the hiring process saying “no”, might be too heavy a word to deliver. So, rather than embracing and being open to the recruiter, simply opting out through silence becomes an easy escape.
Culture Fit Misconceptions
64% of business owners believe a poor culture fit is the primary reason why employees hate their jobs. 73% of employees say they left a job because of poor culture fit. It’s evident that cultural-fit hiring strategy is an important factor in modern workplaces and job seekers are more actively looking for organisations that align with them. When candidates sense a misfit culture, they choose to quietly exit the recruitment process rather than engage in a conversation to explain why they don’t wish to continue.
Got A Better Job Opportunity
There are no two ways about it. Candidates who are more opportunistic than others prefer to silently vanish from the hiring process if they find a better job offer elsewhere. Active or passive, when a job seeker secures a position they rush to cut ties with potential employers.
Not Being Completely Honest
Whether it's something that they lied about in their resume or something they thought wouldn’t turn up in their background check, if an applicant has been dishonest with you at any point, they will choose to ghost you immediately rather than try to explain when the lie comes to light.
How Can Recruiters Prevent Candidates From Ghosting?
As a recruiter, you must first embrace the fact that it’s the world of candidates and you are living in it. You must be able to navigate through the intricacies of modern recruitment challenges to identify what the candidates want and how you can mould them into your recruitment journey.
Straighten Up Communication
Start by streamlining your communication habits. From clarifying expectations to timely updates on the application status, a refined communication process can help you build better connections and transparency with the candidates in the initial stages of hiring. Since active candidates pro-efficiently seek multiple job opportunities and passive job seekers need a good enough motivator to rise from their comfy chairs; your primary communication can be a big factor in creating value and mutual respect for the journey ahead.
Make It Easy To apply
92% of job seekers who click “apply” never finish the application process. Whether it’s lengthy, open-ended and too specific questions or inconvenient methods of adding details (create a new account, upload CV, verify details, etc.), difficult application processes can force candidates to either opt-out or simply pause and never come back. Fix this by asking tailored questions that are best for the application process. Make applying easy by using simple tweaks like accepting CVs in multiple formats (PDF, word, etc.) and using applicant tracking to create engaging career pages.
Create A Better Employer Brand
When 75% of job seekers consider a company’s brand image before applying, it’s evident that you must practice positive employer branding to craft the perfect first impression. Use social media, career pages and other methods to show your diverse and culturally inclusive aspects of the workplace. This way you not only attract top talents but also allow them to gauge if your company’s culture is right for them for a sustainable work life. Moreover, work in coherence with your design and marketing team to play an active role in what employee and career-centric posts are shared.
Strive To Provide Better Candidate Experiences
Re-examine your recruitment strategy from a candidate’s standpoint. Check for communication loopholes and lacklustre feedback mechanisms. Imagine the candidate as your customer and make insightful changes to enhance the candidate’s experience throughout the process. Also, understand candidates' expectations and see if you are timely fulfilling them. With positive experiences, the chance for candidate ghosting decreases significantly and shows that the company is invested in the candidate’s potential, encouraging them to reciprocate with professionalism and respect.
How To Manage Candidate Ghosting?
With all the precautions in place the chances that a candidate vanishes in thin air decreases drastically. However, it doesn’t nullify. There are chances that you come across a situation where a candidate abruptly cuts all communication, especially during crucial times like on the day of the interview, here are a few things you can do to minimize the damage.
Stay Calm
Don’t make hasty decisions like going on a rampage and bursting the candidate with multiple calls, emails and texts. Calm your nerves. If a candidate is inactive and there are still a few hours left for the interviews to start, try to find available replacements or shift time slots to optimize your time utilization.
Be Transparent
It’s necessary that you communicate about this ordeal with your hiring manager or client. It’s possible that they will understand and assist you in finding a way out.
Use Your Candidate Pool
Redoing the entire process can take time and money. Instead, quickly upload your candidate database on Skima and check for probable candidates that you might have initially rejected.
Keep A Record
Always keep a record of the candidates who ghost you. More specifically if they are a high-value candidate who might make a good employee in future. They have ghosted you once, don’t allow them to do it again.
End Note
Candidate ghosting is a tough pill to swallow for any recruiter and it’s frankly inevitable. So, when the day comes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Streamline your communication, enhance candidate experience and work on employer branding to shrink your chances of being ghosted.
Happy Recruiting!
