Why are my candidates ghosting me?

Recruiting new talent is a challenge at the best of times, but it becomes even more frustrating when candidates end up ‘ghosting’ you.

For those unfamiliar with the term, ‘ghosting’ refers to candidates failing to respond to your recruitment comms – usually due to a drop in interest. Here’s what you can do to prevent being ghosted by your applicants in future:

Reasons why your candidates might be ghosting you

Candidates will rarely ignore you for no good reason. Here are a few reasons why your applicants might start ‘ghosting’ you…

#1 – You haven’t maintained regular enough contact

Failing to maintain regular contact with candidates is a surefire way to lose their interest. In the digital age, even a few days of lapsed communication can raise doubts in your applicants’ minds.

This can be easily overlooked by recruiters, especially when hiring for multiple positions at once. However, there are ways to keep candidates in-the-loop without overloading your recruitment team…

What you can do about it

• Automate email/SMS updates with your ATS
• Provide plenty of employer brand collateral for candidates
• Use platforms like LinkedIn to keep in touch with candidates
• Spread out your communications, rather than sending information in bulk
• Enable candidates to book interview sessions at a time that suits them

#2 – They aren’t engaged with your employer brand

Your employer brand is the shop window of your workplace. It’s what first attracts candidates to join your team, and stick with you for the long-run.

If applicants don’t resonate with your employer brand, or aren’t introduced to its values early-on, you’ll find it difficult to keep them engaged with your opportunities.

Candidates want to know what it’s really like to work for your business; how do you make employees feel valued, and what sets you apart from other employers in your industry?

What you can do about it

• Create an ’employer brand handbook’ for your candidates
• Build a dedicated careers site to house your employer brand collateral
• Utilise employee testimonials and ‘a day in the life’ videos
• Communicate your EVP from the very beginning of the hiring process

#3 – Your ‘Glassdoor’ profile contradicts your values

It’s one thing to shout about your company’s unique values, but if these aren’t practised in your day-to-day culture, candidates will soon see through the facade!

Your company’s Glassdoor profile is a telltale sign of your true workplace environment. If previous employees have expressed disappointment in working for your brand, this will compromise your position as an ’employer of choice’ within your sector.

Glassdoor is one of the first places candidates will look during the initial stages of their hiring journey. If this doesn’t back up your value proposition, applicants may begin ‘ghosting’ your recruitment team…

What you can do about it

• Review your Glassdoor profile and respond constructively to negative reviews
• Encourage current employees to leave their opinions on your Glassdoor page
• Make sure your EVP meets your employees’ expectations
• Implement Glassdoor reviews into your onboarding/offboarding process
• Use ‘exit interviews’ to resolve disputes/issues with departing employees

#4 – They’ve found a better opportunity elsewhere

The job market is a competitive place for employers – especially with the so-called ‘talent shortage‘ affecting a wide range of industries. Candidates have more opportunities available to them now than ever before, making it all too easy to lose out to competing employers.

With the transparency of today’s online job market, it’s easy enough for competitors to research and one-up your employment offers. Benefits matter to your candidates, so it’s easy to understand why they might consider another offer if it outweighs your own.

What you can do about it

• Conduct regular competitor research on salary, benefits, and opportunities
• Keep your EVP dynamic – use employee/competitor data to remain competitive
• Keep things like salary open to discussion (it’s better to use a broad range)
• Ask candidates what they’re looking for in their ideal opportunity

Review & adapt your unique EVP with Talos Engage

Introducing…

Talos ATS: Keep candidates engaged & inspired

Tired of being ghosted by your job candidates? Act now to keep your applicants engaged with your opportunities!

Talos ATS is our all-in-one solution for in-house recruitment, making it easier than ever to attract, engage, progress, and onboard new talent to your business.

We’ve combined all the best recruitment tools and automations into one user-friendly dashboard, giving you a full 360-degree operating system for talent engagement and acquisition.

Automated SMS/Email updates

Keep candidates in-the-loop throughout their hiring journey! Talos ATS allows you to automate email/SMS updates for every hiring stage, ensuring candidates remain engaged and enthusiastic about your opportunities.

Automatically identify your most compatible applicants

Talos uses intelligent recruiter scorecards to automatically identify compatible applicants from the moment they apply. This allows you to engage your most suitable candidates first – reducing applicant drop-off, and increasing new-hire compatibility.

Deliver a talent-winning recruitment journey

Talos ensures a fast, smooth, and enjoyable hiring experience for both your colleagues and candidates. This is crucial for giving new recruits the best start possible with your business, and keeping candidates engaged with your brand.

Talos ATS also includes:

• Intuitive Applicant Tracking Suite 
• Video screening/interviewing platform 
• Fully-branded careers page included
• Recruitment advertising management 
• Job-posting tools across multiple platforms
• Next-generation hiring tools and automations

Discover the easiest way to manage hiring – build a talent-winning recruitment process today: