We’ve heard and seen that ghosting is the top recruiting problem among talent acquisition teams. Recruiting candidates in this environment is a funny game, and even if you’ve checked all of your boxes when it comes to keeping the lines of communication open, catering to your candidate’s wants and needs, and bending over backwards to get them to sign the offer, candidates still play their recruiters.
HOW TO TELL IF A CANDIDATE IS PLAYING YOU
But there are some signs that you can look for that might mean your candidate is playing the field and could leave you high and dry.
1. Making excuses
If a candidate must constantly ‘check with their family’ on every single item you discuss, they could be seeing how their job options play out – especially if they are balancing interviewing with multiple recruiters.
2. Timing and schedules
If they never seem to have 5-20 minutes to hop on a phone call to conduct a phone screen, interview, or discuss salary figures, do not waste too much of your time. Either they want the job, or they don’t, but instead of explicitly declining, they are leaving you as a last resort option.
3. Lines of communication
A large reason a candidate ghosts is because recruiters are too slow to communicate or are not communicating effectively. If you have had numerous touch points, through various lines of communication (e.g., text, email, call, message, etc.) and they are still leaving you unread, time to cut the cord.
4. New salary requirements
In today’s market, recruiters and employers are increasingly becoming more transparent with money. It avoids wasting time on a candidate that will never work for a role. So, if you have had the salary discussion upfront, and candidates are all of the sudden needing new perks or adjusted figures, they are playing you.
5. Uninterested
It’s rare that cleared candidates are directly applying for jobs now a days, so when you are sourcing candidates and asking introductory questions, pay attention to a candidate’s tone and enthusiasm. If they are not asking questions about you, the company, or the position, they likely will soon ghost you.
Like many industries, time is money and that is no different for recruiting. If there are signs a candidate is playing you, be polite, but move on to the next potential hire.
THE CLEARED RECRUITING CHRONICLES: YOUR WEEKLY DoD RECRUITING TIPS TO OUT COMPETE THE NEXT NATIONAL SECURITY STAFFER.
