SHRM - 3 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO AVOID “GHOSTING” IN RECRUITMENT

3 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO AVOID “GHOSTING” IN RECRUITMENT

Ghosting usually occurs only in an online dating. Amanda Bradford, CEO and founder of The League, said to Wall Street Journal, “Ghosting has almost become a new vocabulary in which no response is a response.” And now, the same behaviour is happening in the job market. How does it happen?

A study revealed that there has been discussion over the years about recruiters (both internal and agency) doing this to candidates. However, recently, it seems that the shoe is on the other foot as 14 percent of recruiter now said they have been ghosted by their candidates. The reasons candidates do this are because they are no longer afraid to turn the tables. The study mentioned that over half (52.8 percent) workers feel they have been ghosted by employers during interview process. The other reasons are because candidates were sent to irrelevant jobs, feel bullied into apply for roles they’re not interested in, sense the recruiter has a bad attitude, feel ignored by the recruiter, and receive too many phone calls.

However, employers do not need to worry, as the problem can be solved by adopting open communication. Candidates should say if they are not serious about taking the position or if they want to drop out of the recruitment process. Recruiters, on the other hand, should say if the candidates do not fit in the position.

Another way to avoid ghosting is by applying these steps proposed by Othamar Gama Filho.

1. Make your company stand out
Professional and talented candidates often initiate to check company’s background through websites or social media to get a glimpse of how the work environment is. If your social media or website is all about working and even nothing at all to see, consider yourself in danger of being ghosted. Therefore, one of a good way is by providing immersive storytelling of how working in your company is. Sometimes, review from previous employees can add a plus to make your company stand out. Improving your brand name can also be an effective step to engage talents to stay in touch with you.

2. Give more human touch to increase empathy
In a world where everything can be done without human interface, you should take that as an advantage by providing more human interaction to show empathy. AI and automation are helpful but candidates still want to feel the touch of human empathy. Show that you care, show that the company cares.

To do this, you can use candidate’s engagement data and techniques to increase the chance of success. For example, you can adjust or choose the right interview schedule. Othamar suggested to schedule interview in the morning than in the afternoon. Monday morning between 9am and 10am in particular is proven to be the best time to schedule an interview. “27 percent of candidates is more likely to be there”, he added. Also, it is not all about how courteous and compassionate manner you have when you communicate, but somehow, the ‘when’ does matter most. Additionally, you should not keep the candidates waiting for your response for too long .

3. Write a memorable job description
Job description is one of critical factors to attract potential talents. Keep in mind that when talents look for a new job, they will apply to multiple companies. So, it is critical to create memorable job description that sell the position in your company. As best as possible, fill everything from the role to personality sought. All should be understandable and readable by candidates.

SOURCE: HRASIA

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