The current job market is challenging, to say the very least. Employers are facing some new, harsh realities. We can all agree that it’s hard to attract candidates, even harder to find qualified ones and harder still to get to the offer stage with great talent.
Yes, the road to finding employees today can be difficult. But what’s worse is when your newest employee-in-waiting decides to rescind their job offer acceptance just before their first day. Yep, ghosting isn’t just for dating anymore.
An annual study from Jobvite reported that 19% of workers have admitted to ghosting a new employer, up from only 11% last year.
That’s an eight-point jump in just one year, and it definitely stings. Many of the reasons the respondents gave for doing so aren’t necessarily in an employer’s hands. In the survey, 58% cited getting a better offer from another company, 38% had a change of heart because of personal reasons such as a move and 28% decided to stay at their current employer.
The “It” Factor: Culture
That said, there was one reason respondents gave for rescinding a job offer acceptance that stood out for being preventable. Almost one in five (17%) shared that they discovered information about a company’s culture that made them change their mind. There are three ways – at three different stages of the hiring process – in which employers can prevent candidates from ghosting them by eliminating any culture surprises.
1. You have to say it.
What’s your company mission? What does your brand stand for? How do you differentiate from competitors in your industry or other employers in your market? If your recruiters don’t make it clear why your company is special, you could be on your way to being ghosted.
The first step to attracting top talent is to know who are you and how to convey it. In our experience at Advanced RPO, candidates are applying to many jobs at once. Employers can increase their chances of attracting that talent if recruiters have a strong, compelling story to tell about the company and its culture. Take stock of your marketable job aspects – benefits, work/life balance, PTO, charitable donations, 401K match, etc. Give your recruiters something to say about your company that makes you stand out from the crowd.
2. You have to prove it.
Let’s say your recruiters do a great job of getting candidates excited about your culture. Will that candidate be able to validate the authenticity of your culture through a quick Google check? If the answer is no, you could be on your way to being ghosted.
A Glassdoor study found that 53% of job seekers look up company information on online ratings sites. If more than half of candidates are looking you up on sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, it’s definitely worth your while to up your game. Consider running some campaigns or contests to encourage employees to write about their experiences. Also, certain awards like Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work requires you to have a minimum number of reviews for eligibility, and those accolades can be great talking points for your recruiters.
Another avenue for job seekers to learn about you is your company’s careers page on your website. Find your company’s spark and showcase it through videos, photos and real employee testimonials. Having a dynamic careers page helps candidates form a connection with your brand.
3. Candidates have to feel it.
So, your recruiters have gotten the attention of top candidates, and they’ve been able to validate that you really are a great company via your online ratings and your own careers page. What happens when they begin scheduling and participating in interviews with your hiring managers and other team members? If the experience feels disconnected from what they were expecting, you could be on your way to being ghosted.
We’ve talked about the importance of the candidate experience in a previous blog post, and it’s full of great information on the topic. You’ll also find that a Google search yields over 650 million results on “candidate experience,” so there’s certainly no lack of information there.
What we do want to share here is just a few quick points. First, technology must be used only in ways that enhance the experience, and we recently talked about how automation can solve two recruiting challenges in particular. And second, it’s really about having a concierge mindset, or level of service, throughout the hiring process – being responsive and helpful can go a long way to making a good impression.
Have you ever been ghosted? In which of these three areas are you weakest and strongest? We’d love to connect with you to learn more about your unique hiring challenges and how Advanced RPO might able to help. Reach out today if you’re interested in how an RPO solution could benefit your business.
