You source a candidate that has impressed the hiring managers, has all of the required skills, and appears to be the perfect fit for the company’s values. Before an offer has been extended, the candidate changes their mind about this decision and decides to withdraw from the interview process. Why? After publishing a survey asking candidates ‘What makes you want to drop out of an interview process?’, the results concluded the two main factors to be poor communication and too many interview rounds. To prevent candidates from dropping out of the interview process, it is important to understand why they are doing so. Read along to understand the main reasons candidates are withdrawing, and find ways to ensure candidates will be eager to accept your offer.
Too many interview rounds
For many employers, more than a few interviews has become the norm to make sure they are finding the perfect fitting candidate. To say the current talent market is competitive may be an understatement. How many interviews becomes too many? Though there is no magic number, an article on BBC stated, “Google recently examined its past interview data and determined that four interviews was enough to make a hiring decision with 86% confidence, noting that there was a diminishing return on interviewer feedback thereafter. Afterward, confidence rose by less than 1% with each additional interview. Furthermore, 94% of the time, the hiring decision remained the same whether the candidates were interviewed four times or 12 times.” The number of required interviews for a candidate should be in line with the level of position. Most candidates are not throwing all of their eggs in one basket, so if your company is requiring 4+ interviews for a lower-level position, the chances are high that the candidate will accept a competing offer.
Too slow of an interview process
Hiring managers with slow response times are causing A-list talent to walk away. Once a candidate has gone through the expected number of interviews, they will be eager to receive feedback or a potential offer. Chances are high that they are interviewing with more than one company, so if your company takes too long to provide that feedback, that candidate is walking away. If the hiring process for your company is lengthy, time-consuming, with a lack of communication, this may raise a red flag for the candidate in terms of the job itself. Having a timeline set up before beginning the interview process will help make it a speedier process.
Lack of communication
This is one of the most detrimental aspects of a company’s hiring process. According to a survey from a global staffing firm, “62% of US professionals say they lose interest in a job if they don’t hear back from the employer within two weeks – or 10 business days – after the initial interview. That number jumps to 77% if there is no status update within three weeks.” When the hiring manager fails to communicate efficiently with the candidate, the candidate may assume they are being strung along. There may be internal factors causing a delay in the hiring process, however if valid reasons are not communicated clearly, candidates will not understand what is happening and they will move on. If your company interviews a candidate and does not follow up in a timely manner to give feedback or determine next steps, that candidate is going to assume you are not interested.
Outlining what the interview process will look like upfront will ensure good communication and an efficient process. Sharing what the interview process will entail, outlining the different steps, helping the candidate understand what to expect from feedback and when, and sharing information about the different types of assessments are all important for clear communication. Even if you outline the process before candidates apply, be sure to recap this information before the first official interview.
Crystal Wishart serves as a Director at RETS Associates, a national real estate executive search firm. She is based in Newport Beach and can be reached at Crystal@retsusa.com
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