Candidate Ghosting: How it Hurts Employers and Candidates.
There’s been a lot of discussion recently in the graduate industry around "candidate ghosting." It's when job applicants suddenly stop communicating with employers during the hiring process, (much like ghosting in personal relationships). A 2022 report from ZipRecruiter found that 31% of first-time job seekers said they had ghosted an employer during the job search process.
Ghosting can occur at all stages of the recruitment process. Some applicants don’t complete assessment stages, others don’t show up for interviews, and an increasing number accept an offer but then don’t take up the job.
Graduate recruiters invest a lot of time and resources managing large volumes of candidates in the recruitment process, from reviewing applications, administering assessments, to conducting interviews and co-ordinating assessment centres. When candidates ghost, it leads to wasted resources and delays in filling positions. In addition, ghosting can lead to other candidates missing job opportunities as employers decline others in the process believing that their position is filled.
A message for candidates:
There could be several reasons why a candidate ghosts an employer. Some may believe that there are so many candidates applying for a role, that their quiet departure from a process will have very little impact or some may be avoiding an awkward conversation informing the employer that they have decided to take a job elsewhere. However, in a small job market like New Zealand, we would encourage candidates to take the time to inform an employer if you are no longer interested in an opportunity you’ve applied to. It takes just a couple of minutes to send a thoughtful note to withdraw your application, rather than risk damage to your professional brand and future prospects with that employer.
So, what can employers do to try to avoid candidate ghosting?
Talent Solutions director Seren Wilson says maintaining high levels of communication throughout your selection process and building a strong keep warm strategy between offer and start are essential.
“Keep warm strategies revolve around regular, intentional and engaging communication that both serve to excite your incoming hire about the organisation they are joining and provide you with immediate flags if the candidate is not responding to this outreach.”
Our top tips:
Act swiftly – and communicate the recruitment process clearly: Streamlining the application process and making it simple, engaging, and accessible can help ensure applicants move through each stage.
Build strong relationships with, and between, your chosen graduates: Maintain regular communication with your new hires and look for ways to start engaging new hires such as connecting them with their future colleagues.
Keep promoting your company (and how great it is!): Throughout the application and pre onboarding stage, continue to highlight your company to your applicants. Sharing stories of career development and exciting projects can increase anticipation and engagement.
Help graduates visualise – and plan – their future with you: Providing detailed information about the programme, business area or team strategy, clients, and career paths graduates can pursue within your organisation can help them plan and envision their future.
Candidate ghosting is a real concern for graduate recruiters, disrupting the hiring process and wasting time and resources. By keeping recruitment processes moving quickly, building strong relationships with your hires, communicating frequently and helping graduates envision their future with your organisation before they start, employers can reduce the occurrence of ghosting and create a positive candidate experience.
Talent Solutions have a full suite of interventions that make up their ‘Keep Warm Strategy’ for employers to consider and build into their own processes.
Contact us to chat about the strategies you can implement to build engagement with your selected graduates.
