Getting ghosted by someone can seem like the end of the world. One minute, everything seems to be going great – and then the next—they abruptly cut off all communication. Thoughts begin to swirl in your head like “where did I go wrong” or “what could I have done differently?” From dating to your work life, there seems to be no escaping the phenomenon of ghosting. In your personal life, this is as easy moving “onto the next one situation”, but in staffing or sales, it could mean missing out on a huge deal or quarterly bonus. Below you can find three ways to help avoid candidate ghosting.
Keep Your Options Open
In a time where unemployment is at a historic low, there are actually more job openings than there are unemployed workers. What’s more, 2.3% of employed workers are quitting their jobs, the largest percentage since 2001, according to the U.S department of labor. This leads to the upswing in ghosting, simply due to the fact that employees have more options. Candidates are piling on as many interview opportunities and job offers as they can, and aren’t worried about following up with recruiters they are no longer interested in working with. In turn, this has caused recruiters to do the same with stacking candidates and overbooking interviews. Keeping a full pipeline is key, and it’s good practice to never assume your one perfect candidate is going to accept the job. That way, if things don’t work out, you’ll have a few backups and the missed opportunity won’t be nearly as difficult to overcome.
Simply Your Application & Interview Process
Making your application and interview process as simple as possible is critical to securing talent. And on the flip-side, it’s a great way to avoid getting ghosted by potential candidates. The more employee friendly your process, the more likely it is for potential candidates to stay engaged. This includes initiatives like a mobile friendly application process, quick response times, and video interviews. If candidates have to jump through a bunch of hoops simply just to apply, then they’re more likely to lose interest, especially if your competitors have a less painful application process. Always remember that the candidate experience you provide from the beginning can impact their decision when it comes accepting or turning down an offer.
Stay in Contact & Actively Communicate
At the end of the day, being persistent and keeping contact is the best thing you can do to avoid ghosting. Whether you’re trying to touch base and reconnect with a MIA candidate who’s been dodging your emails, or you’te following up with a prospect you just met with, sending a quick email or text won’t take much time out of your day, and could make all the difference in the end.
Shortening your time-to-hire is also crucial. If your hiring and onboarding process simply takes too long, candidates might get restless, and opt for another opportunity. A recent survey found that 49% of talent acquisition professionals have a 7 to 14 day time-to-hire, from receiving an application to sending an offer letter. 24% say it takes more like 15 to 30 days. As a recruiter, you should try to reduce the time it takes to fill a role as much as possible to beat out or at the very least keep pace with the competition. Maintaining consistent contact throughout this time will help you to avoid getting ghosted.
In Conclusion…
There isn’t a catch all solution to avoid ghosting in the workplace, but adopting some of the strategies above can defiantly lessen your chances. But there’s always the chance you will never hear from some candidates or prospects ever again. But if you establish a good relationship with them and put the work in at the outset, they will likely remember that, and may come back for another opportunity down the road.
