Has a candidate ever “ghosted” you before? You’re not alone. Candidate ghosting, where candidates suddenly and inexplicably cease communication with employers during the recruitment process, has become a recurring headache for hiring teams.
In today's fiercely competitive job market, this trend has grown so widespread that HR leaders are eagerly seeking every possible strategy to curb ghosting.
Indeed commissioned a study to understand the underlying reasons behind candidate ghosting and to explore strategies that HR leaders like you can employ to keep candidates engaged.
The study found that Canada had a higher prevalence of employers expressing frustration about candidate ghosting among all countries surveyed. So we asked job seekers why they ghost. Here’s what we found.
Why do job seekers ghost
Job seekers admit to ghosting employers. Over three-fourths (77%) of Canadian job seekers admitted to ghosting one to four companies during their job search in the past 12 months. In a challenging and competitive labour market, while the act may seem baffling, job seekers cited multiple reasons including these top three top reasons.
Lack of Candidate Engagement
The study revealed that only half of employers have specific strategies in place to keep candidates engaged throughout the recruitment process. A streamlined hiring process is lacking and job candidates can feel it. Whether it is a lack of follow up or leaving the candidate “on read” for further next steps, job seekers don’t like silence especially if they made the effort to follow up with your hiring team.
Uncompetitive compensation package
Candidates' decisions to ghost potential employers can be influenced by a variety of factors including an uncompetitive compensation package. A sizable number of job seekers (44%) indicated that they might not have ghosted if they had been offered an attractive pay. Adequate pay transparency and competitive compensation packages are a few things that job seekers take into account before they ghost. Should the package or pay be too low, rather than express their concerns, they simply cease communication altogether.
Strategies for HR Leaders
So far, 76% of employers surveyed keep a record of job seekers who ghosted and although it spares them from interviewing a candidate they know will ghost, it does little to reduce ghosting overall. HR leaders like yourself can employ several strategies to address candidate ghosting. Reducing the likelihood of ghosting starts very early in the recruitment process.
Enhance Engagement Strategies
To address candidate ghosting, organizations should focus on developing and implementing robust candidate engagement strategies. This includes timely communication, personalized feedback, and maintaining a transparent and respectful hiring process. There’s no such thing as “over-communication” in hiring. Ensure that candidates are adequately prepared for the next steps, when they can hear from you should they be successful or unsuccessful in the competition and how they can stay in touch should new opportunities arise. Always follow through with your timelines and communicate if there are delays on your end.
Role Alignment
HR leaders should work closely with hiring managers to ensure that job responsibilities are clearly defined and aligned with what’s posted. Alongside pay transparency, make sure that what’s on the job description matches job seekers' expectations. As an expert, you know whether the role you’re sourcing is aligned with market demands.
Be prepared to manage expectations. Hiring leaders are always on the hunt for exceptional candidates, and when a role demands expertise in a technical skill, it's crucial to state this requirement upfront. It lets prospective candidates know whether they might be suited for the job. Conversely, when the technical skill can be acquired on the job, advocate for its inclusion as a 'nice-to-have' rather than a 'must-have.' In a recent study, we found that education in the form of skills and certification can often be a barrier to workplace success. Collaborate closely with hiring managers to gain a deep understanding of the role's requirements. Offer some potential adjustments to the title or salary to attract the very best candidates for the role.
Alongside defined and aligned job postings are expectations themselves. Let job seekers know what the first 90 days would look like in the role. It can help job candidates understand how they might fit in your company and also offers an extra layer of transparency.
Writing job descriptions can be long and tiring. Indeed just released its AI job description generator which takes out the guesswork on typical requirements for common roles. Exploring this tool will give you an idea of what other employers are looking for when hiring for your open role.
Pay Transparency and Competitive Compensation Packages
Offering pay transparency and competitive compensation packages is essential to attract and retain top talent. Over half of Canadians (63%) now believe that all companies should disclose salaries in the hiring process. In fact, job listings that include salary information receive up to 90% more applications than listings that don’t. Employers should also consider showcasing the full compensation package. Do you offer a wellness stipend? What other perks and benefits can your future employees enjoy? These little details are what job seekers consider when applying for your jobs. Don’t forget to update your company page to showcase the full breadth of your compensation package alongside the salary range.
Streamline Hiring Process
Lengthy and convoluted hiring processes can frustrate candidates, leading to ghosting. Are six rounds of interviews required or can you shrink the process down to three? Streamlining the process by reducing unnecessary steps and ensuring a reasonable time frame between when the job candidate applied and when they are hired, should help reduce candidate ghosting.
Bonus tip: Ask your new hires what they thought of the hiring process as part of your onboarding to see if there are steps that need to be removed or improved. Their feedback is invaluable to your hiring process and could help curb candidate ghosting.
Download our report on ghosting
The issue of candidate ghosting is a pressing concern for HR leaders worldwide but particularly in Canada. As revealed in our latest report, understanding the root causes and implementing effective strategies is essential to curb “ghosting.”
By enhancing candidate engagement, transparency on the role advertised, offering competitive compensation, and reducing the hiring process length, HR leaders can significantly decrease instances of candidate ghosting and create a more efficient and productive recruitment process.
Furthermore, maintaining transparency and professionalism throughout the process is key to building a positive employer brand that attracts top talent and fosters long-term relationships with future employees.
