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Ghosted by a Candidate? Here’s How An RPO Can Help You

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October 08,2020

Ghosting an employer is a common practice in today’s candidate-driven landscape with 19% of workers admitting to ghosting an employer. Navigating through such a challenging job market can be quite a task for recruitment managers. From facing cut-throat competition to declining candidate retention rates, employers these days are being forced into facing the harsh realities of attracting ideal candidates.

The journey of finding an ideal candidate can be a really gruesome one, however, it’s still not a recruitment manager’s worst nightmare. The one that tops the list is- a candidate rescinding their job offer a day or two before the joining date. In a scenario such as this, their plight is impalpable.

According to Human Resource Director America, 83% of the employers have been ghosted by a candidate at some point during their hiring process. The same study states that one in every five candidates have ghosted a recruitment manager with 50% stating they failed to show up for the job interview, 46% stating that they did not reply to the recruiter, 22% stating they accepted the job offer but did not show up for work, and 19% stated they accepted the job verbally but did not sign the paperwork. However, the recruiter had a completely different picture to paint with 84% of them stating that the candidate did not show up for the interview, 65% stating that the candidate accepted the job offer but did not show up to work, 64% stating that candidate did not respond to them, and 60% stating that a candidate verbally accepted the offer but did not sign the paperwork.

Now, it might seem confusing to an employer as to why would a candidate put in so much effort only to ghost later on. Well, there could be many reasons such as-

  • The candidate realized the role wasn’t fit for them

  • The candidate received a better offer in terms of a better salary or work culture

  • The candidate did not like the offer the recruitment manager made

  • The candidate found the benefits to be underwhelming

  • The candidate wasn’t comfortable telling the recruiter they had changed their minds.

  • There was a communication problem or a communication gap between the recruitment manager and the candidate.

  • The candidate was not satisfied with the candidate experience.

  • The candidate had personal issues

  • The candidate felt the recruitment manager mislead them

Now, these problems are cued in from the years of ghosting candidates have received from an employer’s end, which is still very much prevalent in job markets that have a high supply of labour. Employers tend to ghost candidates that do not fit the bill and this could simply be because of the sheer number of applications that come in or with their recruitment managers being occupied. However, the thing to note here is that activities like these result in bad candidate experience and ruins the employer brand of a company. An easy solution to this can be automating your emails or better yet, hiring an RPO. RPO providers are best equipped with handling all your recruitment woes and ensure that candidates are not giving you the cold shoulder.

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Here’s how an RPO can help you from ghosted-

Devise realistic job adverts

Overpromising job adverts can spell disaster for employers. Candidates may feel cheated as they come in for interviews or it could also lead to candidates not being able to align themselves with the work culture of your organization. Candidates are also likely to ghost an employer if the job description doesn’t match up with their job roles when they start working.

An RPO provider can be of great help here as they take in relevant information about a job from the human resource manager and devise a realistic job advert. They make sure the advert is well-written and showcases the company culture accurately. RPOs have worked for them seasoned recruitment managers who specialize in creating engaging adverts that honestly represent the job role and responsibilities.

Work on a feedback-based model

Candidates are most likely to ghost an employer because of communication issues and that is why it is necessary to touch base with prospective candidates and keep them updated on the recruitment process. It is also advisable to take feedback from prospective candidates and then devise proper strategies to take things forward. However, the issue most employers face is that their recruitment managers are overworked. They have to perform their core duties and also conduct the recruitment drives which can turn out to be quite overwhelming for them. This is where an RPO comes into the picture. They take over the recruitment process leaving an ample amount of time for the managers to focus on their core duties.

Since RPOs specializes in recruitment, they are well aware of all the tips and tricks to keep the candidates engaged. Moreover, most RPOs work on a feedback-based model that allows them to optimize their recruitment strategies in line with the needs of potential candidates.

Keep the hiring process short

No candidate enjoys a long and overwhelming recruitment process. Most employers have their hiring process down to three levels, an initial test/screening, interviews, and paperwork. These levels might have some sub-levels in terms of more than one screening test or a series of interviews and such. It is advisable for employers to keep the interview process as short and smooth as possible to ensure good candidate experience and avoid getting ghosted. Now, if you are wondering then how are you supposed to single out the ideal one? Get in touch with an RPO provider.

RPOs have an elaborate database in place which has all the prerequisites you’d need to look out for in an ideal candidate. They make it easy for the candidates as well as the employer. Additionally, with extensive expertise in hiring, they are better positioned to analyze candidates and may not need to partake in several interviews.

Helps in creating a strong employer brand

An effective employer brand is what every candidate seeks and is what makes them stick around. An employer brand is not something that can be built overnight, it is a lengthy and detailed process. The working health of your existing employees, your relationship with your past employees, your digital presence in terms of social media, website, and app plays a huge role in determining your employer brand. If you have great employee benefit policies in place, it is imperative you showcase it and it is also crucial to communicate your brand values with your audience and keep them engaged.

An RPO provider can easily set you on the right path. They have in-store recruitment marketing tools which can benefit a lot when it comes to improving your employer brand. They use elaborately crafted job descriptions, channelize the power of social media to up your digital presence, and leverage good candidate experience to add more value to your brand.

Pay attention to candidate experience

Candidate experience is the primary thing every candidate looks forward to. Providing your candidates with positive experience should be employers’ main focus. It is high time employers humanize the hiring process and treat their candidates with respect and kindness. An RPO provider specializes in optimizing the recruitment process and ensures a good candidate experience. Their executives regularly touch base with the candidates and handle them with professional care.

By enlisting an RPO like Collar Search, you will be able to significantly minimize the risk of ghosting but it is not something which can be completely avoided. Humans are complex in nature and putting them all under the same hat will only lead to chaos. So, the priority should be to minimize the risk at all costs and an RPO provider is just what you need to pull through.

Collar Search has expertise in background verification, besides a diversified pool of talents. Reach out to us now to align your hiring process with your business goals.