{"id":1341,"date":"2020-10-28T18:18:34","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T17:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/traffit.com\/?p=1341"},"modified":"2023-07-28T09:48:47","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T07:48:47","slug":"ghosting-in-recruitment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traffit.com\/en\/blog\/candidate-experience\/ghosting-in-recruitment\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghosting in recruitment: what it is and why it should stop"},"content":{"rendered":"
Ever lost candidates without any apparent reason? Or maybe it happened to you that you just didn’t manage to update every person you had in your hiring process?<\/p>\n
Ghosting seems to be on the rise, and you need to be prepared \u2013 the person you want to hire can ignore you at some point, despite your best effort. Let’s find out more!<\/p>\n
Ghosting is a term used initially in\u2026 dating! It describes a sudden ending of a personal relationship without any explanation. Usually, a person who has been ghosted feels guilty, even though it didn\u2019t depend on them.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, the term ghosting is trending in talent acquisition<\/a> as well. This analogy shows the situation when prospective employers leave their candidates without any information and the other way around \u2013 when job seekers stop answering the recruiters\u2019 calls and messages.<\/p>\n I decided to ask the LinkedIn community about their experiences related to ghosting. So first, I asked job seekers if a recruiter had ever ghosted them.<\/p>\n \u2153 of candidates admitted that ghosting is a prevalent practice among recruiters. Only 1 in 12 candidates received appropriate feedback during the whole recruitment process. The rest of them experienced ghosting once or twice.<\/p>\n A similar survey was conducted by Andrew Seaman<\/a> from LinkedIn News two months ago. His question was more specific \u2013 he asked job seekers if they\u2019ve ever experienced ghosting by recruiters after an interview. Two possible answers (yes and no) divided respondents into two extremely uneven groups. A shocking number of 93% of people voted for YES. Over 1K users commented on the post and shared their stories.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a good practice, we can identify all candidates\u2019 feedback once every stage of the recruitment process is finished.<\/p>\n Imagine you\u2019re a candidate who\u2019s in touch with a recruiter.<\/strong> He calls you to let you know that your application is impressive, and he invites you for an interview. During a meeting, you feel a positive vibe and that you\u2019ll fit the team. You\u2019re promised to receive an offer within a week.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, you\u2019re not getting any response \u2013 no call, no email, silence. Wondering why?<\/p>\n A company decided to finish the hiring process and present an offer to the other candidate. But why a recruiter hasn\u2019t contacted you? Even the worst information is better than silence and uncertainty. Maybe he doesn\u2019t know how to share bad news? Or maybe he doesn\u2019t feel it\u2019s needed, as he\u2019s already achieved his goal and ended the recruitment process?<\/p>\n I believe it\u2019s never intentional, but it happens.<\/p>\n There were dozens or hundreds of candidates. How to contact everyone when deadlines are coming up, and your desk is filled with CVs?<\/p>\n It\u2019s understandable, yet you can automate sending emails and make sure that every rejected candidate will receive relevant feedback.<\/p>\n Are you a recruiter, and sometimes you disappear and stop contacting candidates? Do you want to change that and improve the candidate experience?<\/p>\n Don\u2019t abandon the recruitment process once you find a perfect match. Make sure that every candidate who sent a job application and didn’t make it receives a candidate rejection email<\/a>.<\/p>\n Keep your promises. If you said you\u2019re going to come back with a response by the end of the week \u2013 contact the candidate even if the recruitment decision hasn\u2019t been made yet. Let candidates know that you\u2019re still waiting for feedback from the client or hiring manager, apologize for the delay, and determine a new deadline for the response.<\/p>\n If a candidate didn\u2019t pick up your phone calls, don\u2019t consider it as a conducted conversation. Don\u2019t make excuses; instead, try to call them at different times, for example, after business hours. Moreover, you can always send them an email and suggest scheduling a phone call<\/a>.<\/p>\n Use an applicant tracking system<\/a> to automate your communication, but make it personal as well! Effective ATS provides automatic emails with customization and personalization features to improve candidate experience and save time.<\/p>\n Also, you can let your hiring manager<\/a> take a look at the applicants’ profiles and leave notes, so the interview process goes smoothly.<\/p>\nWhy are recruiters ghosting candidates?<\/h2>\n
1. Someone else is a better fit for the position<\/h3>\n
2. A recruiter doesn\u2019t have time<\/h3>\n
Keep all your candidates in the loop<\/h3>\n
Look for convenient ways of communicating<\/h3>\n
Support your hiring process with tools<\/h3>\n