Ghosting has become the latest social trend. And now this practice is officially seeping into the recruiting industry.
Have you suddenly ceased contact with job applicants after they interviewed for a position at your company and even completed sampled tasks for it? If you avoid notifying the candidates that they didn’t make the cut, you are ghosting them – and this might bring consequences.
However, the majority of employers still underestimate the business impact of the candidate experience. According to a study from CareerBuilder, “82% of employers think there’s little to no negative impact on the company when a candidate has a bad experience during the hiring process.”
In reality, applicants do not take poor recruiter communications lightly. Consequently, the Korn Ferry Futurestep Survey outlines that 53% of respondents believe not hearing back from the hiring manager is what aggravated them most during the recruiting process.
Too Many Applicants, Too Little Time?
The number of people entering the workforce has increased over the past years. As a recruiter, you might be reluctant to giving feedback simply because there are too many applicants to screen. And let’s face it, informing unsuccessful candidates of your decision can be a challenging task. But keeping them guessing is not an option for recruiters today, regardless of the high volume of applications received or the fear of rejecting seemingly qualified applicants. It might not be always done out of bad behavior – but ultimately, intentional or not, ghosting shows a lack of professionalism.
To help you understand the lasting effects of professional ghosting, below we look at the 3 top reasons why you should avoid it and provide recommendations on how to start creating a positive candidate experience.
Customer Loyalty
Today’s candidates expect ongoing communication from companies throughout the entire application process. If this expectation is not being met, it can ultimately affect their loyalty as customers. As a matter of fact, The Future of Recruiting Study reveals that “64% of job seekers say that a poor candidate experience would make them less likely to purchase goods and services from the employer.”
And what’s more, job candidates aren’t afraid to share their experience with others. In fact, the Korn Ferry Futurestep Survey found that 34% of people “would actually be likely to urge their friends and family members to stop being a customer” if they are unhappy with their experience as a candidate.
And it doesn’t end here.
Online Reputation
As social media and employer review sites have increasingly expanded, candidates and employees usually turn to these platforms to make or break the reputation of a company. To that end, job seekers are increasingly trusting online company reviews, and the majority of those who have read a negative review about an organization are likely to decide against applying for a position there.
In today’s competitive job market, finding and retaining the right employees is one of the biggest challenges facing hiring professionals. And sometimes, it only takes a review that speaks about your company’s lack of communication to alienate a high-potential candidate.
Prospective Employees
It so happens that you have a specific candidate persona in mind for the current open position at your company. Out of all applicants, one managed to tick almost all the right boxes. So, you have been keeping this candidate as a back-up and eventually decide down the road that he might be a good match for your enterprise – be it in the same position or a different one. You might have assured him that he has a good chance at getting the job and even promised to follow-up at the end of the interview; only to never actually call and offer an explanation.
Would candidates put themselves through that all over again and expect different results? Probably not. A study from Career Arc confirms that “candidates who are not informed about their application are 3.5 times less likely to re-apply to that company.” And the longer it takes to fill a position, the more it costs.
There’s no getting around the fact that the candidate’s perception of your overall recruiting process not only drives consumer behavior but also helps companies attract top talent.
This is why we’ve come up with a few recommendations to help you turn the candidate experience into a competitive advantage:
- Acknowledge every application. And thank candidates for the time they invested to apply for a position at your company.
- Notify the candidates that have not been selected for an interview as soon as possible. If you know the candidate is not a good fit right away, don’t wait until the position is filled.
- In case the applicants have been unsuccessful following an interview, let them know right there and then. If you still need a few days to decide, try to personalize your rejection email or better yet – call them – and provide a proper explanation as to why you’re declining them.
- Take the time to respond to any inquiries coming from rejected interviewees and be clear with your communication. If you want to keep their resumes on file for future consideration, let them know. But no matter what, be sure to maintain communication with the job applicant at every stage of the recruitment process.
Treat prospective employees like your loyal customers. After all, they’re your most valuable assets and the long-term success of your company depends heavily upon them.
