You’ve heard of ghosting when it comes to dating. But did you know ghosting is becoming more common in the job market?
There’s a variety of ways candidates are ghosting employers. They may ghost you during the recruiting process, or perhaps they’re offered a position and never show up to work. And some you may never hear from again.
As a hiring manager, this can be highly frustrating. So how can you prevent it?
Our Top Advice for Hiring Managers: Stay Connected
Keep candidates informed throughout the hiring process. Candidates want to know where they stand at all times.
Job seekers are likely juggling multiple job offers these days, and you want to be at the top of their list. That means frequent contact, including a tentative timeline for the hiring process and the applicant’s status can help the candidate know what to expect from you, feel more engaged and therefore much less likely to ghost you.
Onboard Before You Onboard
“Pre-boarding” might sound unnecessary or excessive, but it can be a great way to keep your new employee on the hook before the onboarding process begins in earnest.
Many employers are taking steps—even before their new employee enters the office for their first day—to make new hires feel welcome. They are doing this by staying in touch, letting them know about any “perks” of the job, or including them on any relevant team emails.
Some of the most valuable touchpoints are aimed explicitly at making sure the new employee has what they need for a great start. For example, what cords or other equipment do they need at their new workstation? Are there any upcoming social events they could be included in to help them get to know their team even before their official start date?
Basically, anything that you can do to help new employees feel welcome can drastically lower the chance that they’ll ghost you down the road.
Job Seekers Are in Very High Demand. Act Accordingly.
Today’s job seekers are in very high demand. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you need to roll out the red carpet to make them feel special. But, since they’re taking the time and effort to explore your organization in a sea of options, it helps to treat them with the respect and consideration they deserve.
A great way to give candidates the best experience when interviewing is to provide them with valuable feedback. Treat them the way that you’d like to be treated by clarifying the process. If you need to reschedule a meeting with them (we get it, you have a lot going on), remember to be as transparent as you can. Let the candidate know as soon as possible and even give them a reason for the change.
It also doesn’t take much time to let them know if they’re second or third on your list, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. The point is to let them know that they are still on your radar and that they haven’t slipped through the cracks. This lets them know how important they are to you.
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in one Basket
You have a great candidate. That’s super! But you never want to put all your eggs into one basket by limiting yourself to just one.
Let those two or three other candidates know that you’re still considering their credentials. You’ll want to make it clear that you’re still interested in them because you never know what might happen with candidate number one. They may suddenly drop out of the running, and then what? You may have to find different options quickly. And you’ll be grateful you kept the other candidates engaged when you do. Making the effort to stay engaged with a few candidates usually pays off at the end of the day.
Watch Our Video for More
ITAC Partner & Vice President JG Carver and IT Recruiting Manager Wes Jones advise hiring managers on the keeping employees engaged to prevent ghosting.
And if you have specific questions about how you can avoid being ghosted by a candidate, contact ITAC Solutions today.
