Why You Are Losing Candidates
You may have heard the phrase “It is the job seekers market” a lot nowadays.
The Great Resignation has disrupted the current job market, making it difficult for hiring managers to find the right talent. With the job market being tight, the last thing you want is to be left high and dry by candidates.
Many candidates are now ghosting employers during different stages of the recruitment process due to holding out for their perfect role which offers a competitive salary, employee benefits and provides fulfilment and meaningful work.
What does Ghosting look like?
Ignoring calls, messages, and emails
Not showing up to an interview
No-show on first day.
This could happen due to several reasons, including;
Poor Communication during the Recruitment Process
Transparency is key in recruitment. It is essential for hiring managers to be direct and honest at the start and throughout the recruitment process. This makes it more likely for candidates to be interested and remain interested in the role.
Conversely, if candidates are left hanging with lack of updates or follow-ups, they are most likely to be disinterested quickly in the advertised role. This also influences candidates to develop a negative perception of the employer further discouraging them from re-applying for roles in the future.
Tip 1: It is recommended to provide candidates with feedback on their application within 1-2 weeks of applying for a role.
No Applicant Tracking System?
Many hiring managers manage a number of roles at once and it can be difficult to provide updates to candidates, considering the administrative work involved in recruitment on a daily basis including scheduling interviews, paper screenings (resume), shortlisting and correspondences .
Tip 2: To alleviate the pressure and streamline the hiring process, it can be beneficial to invest in an applicant tracking system, where candidates can move within the different stages of the recruitment process and receive automatic updates.
Salary package not in line with candidate expectations?
Along with employee benefits, one of the main driving factors in candidates accepting a role is the salary package. Candidates are no longer accepting below market offers and that could generally turn them off a role, leading to ghosting behaviour.
Tip 3: To avoid this, hiring managers should clarify candidate salary expectations at the start of the recruitment process to avoid any surprises or disappointments.
Better benefits elsewhere
In the current job market, candidates expect a variety of employee benefits from their prospective employer. This may include yoga classes, free lunches, gym memberships and employee share options.
Therefore, if you have outdated employee benefits in place, candidates are more likely to accept roles with companies with great employer branding and employee value proposition.
Long Recruitment Process
It is known that good candidates are only actively in the job market for up to 10 days. Therefore, it is important for hiring managers and those involved in the recruitment process to be proactive and move fast throughout the process.
Tip 4: Many employers have various stages e.g. informal screening, 1st stage interview, and 2nd stage interview, which means more time. To move quickly during the process, it can be helpful to reduce the number of stages and stick with maximum of two stages (Phone Screening and a final interview).