Now You See Me - Now You Don't! Ghosting in the World of Recruitment
Posted 26 May 2021
Whilst unemployment due to Covid19 has increased mainly in the hospitality and retail sectors, other areas of recruitment still have candidate shortages too. One of the problems recruiters are currently dealing with is the “disappearing candidate”.
Candidates are responding to a job advert, and then not responding to calls and emails. They might even show a great deal of interest in a role, agree to have their details submitted and then not respond to any contact when trying to organise interviews. This ultimately leaves the recruiter looking unprofessional.
Unfortunately, even if an interview is arranged and agreed, not every job applicant has the courtesy to show up to a job interview, or even to call or send a note to say they’re no longer going to be there. It is even common for a new recruit not to arrive for the first day of work after having accepted an offer!
So why are candidates “ghosting” recruiters or employers? One of the reasons is that with the advent of email, candidates can apply for a large number of roles at the touch of a button. It can become hard to tell one company from the other, or the candidate might forget what they have applied for. Equally, if employers take too much time to get back to the candidate, they might have been snapped up by someone else.
So what can you do? Firstly, you have to make your role as appealing as possible, and your recruitment process as simple as possible. In a thriving job market candidate ghosting becomes more prevalent, so if someone has taken the time to respond to an advert, you can assume they are seeking a new role. You have to find a means of engaging with them as soon as possible, and keeping them engaged throughout the whole process. Adverts and job descriptions should sell the job, company and prospects, and any interaction with candidates should be as “human” as possible. A lengthy recruitment process can result in lost applicants.
Ghosting is no longer limited to dating – it has seeped into the world of work. Good candidates are still hard to attract and need to be “wooed”!
