Have you experienced any candidates “going dark” or “ghosting” you in recent years or months?
Unfortunately, it has become part of our culture. You’ll know it when it happens. Candidates who were once engaged just seem to drop off the planet. They stop responding to emails and calls. It can happen for a variety of reasons, such as:
- Their situation has changed,
- They don’t want to say no,
- They can’t make a decision, or
- They have a question, but stew on it instead of asking.
How to prevent this problem
Urge your candidates to contact you if they have any questions, if they are hesitant, or if they feel there are issues that need to be resolved. Let them know that the lines of communication are always open. Keep the tone positive, but tell them that if they don’t respond to any communication from your side within 24 hours, you’ll assume they are no longer interested and you’ll move on to other candidates. In a world with mobile phones, email and texting, there are few excuses not to respond in a timely manner.
Open and honest communication not only helps during recruitment, it’s also the best way to start the relationship between a new hire and your company.