Hiring Managers, Are You Getting Ghosted by Your Candidates? Here’s Why.
It’s Halloween week! But candidate ghosting is a phenomenon that can happen all year long – if you don’t know how to correct it.
What is Candidate Ghosting?
Ghosting is when someone ends all communication, usually abruptly, without an explanation. Ghosting can happen over LinkedIn, email, or the candidate can just stop taking your calls.
No matter the medium, getting ghosted by a candidate – especially a highly sought-after individual with a great skill set – can be frustrating. Not to mention, getting ghosted frequently can set the hiring process back and leave departments lacking the candidates they need to be efficient.
Here’s How to Combat the Candidate Ghosting Phenomenon
- Be transparent. Top talent has options. If you withhold information unnecessarily, you’re more apt to get ghosted by a candidate with plenty of other career opportunities.
- Be targeted. If your recruiting strategy includes mass mailings and other generic outreach, you’re more likely to lose a candidate who feels like you were reaching out just to them in the first place.
- Be consistent. You’re more likely to be ghosted by someone who feels like you were ghosting them first. Check in, even if you don’t have tangible next steps.
- Be personal. This goes back to the generic messaging trap – if all of your forms of communication seem scripted, a candidate might not realize the impact ghosting will have on you. They might just assume they’ll be one less email address on your mass mailing list by not responding. Let them know you care, and in turn they’ll care more.
- Be attuned to the candidate experience. Keep in touch, share timelines, educate them on your process, and always, always personalize the experience so it works well for you and for them. One size does not fit all, and communication goes a long way.
- Be fast. Ghosting happens when communication is sloppy or lacking altogether. The more efficient you are, the less likely you are to get ghosted.