Candidates apply to your job post, and you can’t wait to reach out to them. But as soon as you do, they ghost you. And the ones that reply and start the process end up being no-shows in interviews. It’s frustrating, especially when a hiring deadline is approaching.

But why do candidates ghost recruiters?

Your hiring process may be complicated.

As candidates look for jobs, they compare different companies and often accept offers from companies with a straightforward hiring process. If you subject candidates to so many rounds of interviews, some may ghost you and accept other offers.

Lack of transparency

Lack of clarity drives top talent away. Your job post may be vague. It may lack crucial information, such as salary details or next steps.

The scam factor

With the rise of ghost recruiters, candidates ghost if something feels off, like excessive free work requests or unprofessional communication.

So, how can you avoid this?

Avoid a very lengthy hiring process.

Keep your process simple and reduce the number of interview rounds to avoid discouraging top talent. You can keep interviews to a max of 2-3 rounds.

Be transparent

Outline the full hiring process upfront and make sure your job post is very detailed. Be very clear about your next steps and be open about the timelines. Also, do not hide salary information.

Communicate clearly

Make sure your communication sounds professional and that you set clear expectations. For instance, you can inform them that you will get back to them in 7 days. You can also say that your interview process takes 3 days, and the final steps take 2 days. Also, send them messages to every candidate, whether they qualify or not.

And lastly, avoid too much unpaid work.

Don’t test candidates’ patience with unnecessary assignments. When you treat candidates like they matter, they treat you the same way and are unlikely to ghost you.

So, if you want to boost candidate experience, check out Workscreen, a hiring platform that can help you do so.