4 REASONS CANDIDATES DROP OUT OF THE HIRING PROCESS

So, you have 10 interviews lined up for your new Sales Executive position and all seems good. You’ve got some solid candidates in the mix and you might even hire a few to support the sales department’s growth. But all of a sudden you start getting emails of the same excited candidates saying they’re dropping out of the process. Or worst (and most common) – they ghost you completely and don’t show up to the interview. 

Your first thought is probably that they’ve found a job elsewhere. Whilst that’s the reason they’re not going ahead with the process, it’s not the reason why they chose that job over yours. 

Dropouts happen and you can’t always avoid them, but you can decrease them massively if you’re willing to look at the reasons why people aren’t seeing your positions as attractive as others.

UNDERSTANDING THE CANDIDATE-DRIVEN MARKET

There are 3 things you need to know about the market right now:

• Candidates have more choice

• Candidates can be picker

• Candidates will move quickly

Gone are the days when people applied for one place, put all their eggs in one basket, and waited patiently to hear back from an employer. 

Candidates are going to be applying for as many jobs as possible, partly because they want to increase their chances, but also because there will be dozens of jobs appearing per week that suit what they’re looking for. Indeed actually recommends that candidates aim for somewhere between 10-15 applications per week.

This means that whilst candidates are going to be pleased to have secured an interview with you, it doesn’t mean that they’re now solely invested in securing a job with you. 

As soon as you realise all of this, it’ll be easier to look beyond the four walls of your company and look at the overall job market and what candidates are being attracted by.

Keep reading for 4 reasons why candidates drop out of hiring processes.

YOU HAVE A LENGTHY INTERVIEW PROCESS

As an employer, you want to hire the best talent. And to ensure you hire the best talent, you may be inclined to do multiple interview stages and tasks to test their ability and knowledge. Whilst we would never suggest you rush an interview process, if you really want to hire the best talent, ensure you don’t lose them by disengaging them through the process.

A recent study found that 78% of candidates would drop out of a long and complex interview process (People Management). And let’s not forget that taking your time increases the likelihood of them being offered elsewhere.

We recommend 2 stages maximum for entry-level/ graduate roles and no more than 3 for senior roles. And if you can – try to keep these interviews close together with regular follow-ups because silence is never good. A candidate will think of 3 things:

1. You’re undecided

2. You’re unorganised

3. You’ve decided on someone else

All while you simply are just waiting 2 weeks between each interview, which is just unnecessary. 

THE SALARY ISN’T COMPETITIVE 

This is a no-brainer. Candidates want to be offered a good salary that is in line with the market. And since they’ll be applying for multiple jobs with similar job titles and responsibilities, as well as doing their own research, they’ll be able to get an idea of the salary they want.

But what causes people to drop out midway through an interview process because of the salary? Surely they would know what they’re getting into, right? Wrong. Not only do many employers (87.4% according to BBC in 2021) avoid disclosing the salary until the final interview stage, but many change the salary midway through with little to no explanation. So when a candidate finds out the salary is different than anticipated, not only does it put a damper on things but it causes them to put your offer on the back burner as they wait for others to come in.

Our suggestion to avoid all of this is to just be transparent. 80% of candidates avoid applying to jobs with no salary anyway (Business Leader) so you’re only harming yourself by doing this.

There will always be a company that could offer more, but do yourself a favour by really doing research into the positions you’re hiring for and create salary bandings based on experience, skills, and if needs be – qualifications. This way you won’t be caught out in offering a salary that really doesn’t reflect the market. 

YOU’RE NOT OFFERING GOOD BENEFITS

Many employers fail to realise that benefits are almost as important as salary. They provide employees with a higher incentive to stay (75% more likely to be exact – Willis Towers Watson) and 69% of candidates say they might choose one job over another if it offered better benefits (One Medical). 

More than ever people are looking for a package that not only benefits their career (progression & training), but they’re looking for a package that benefits them personally. Whether this comes in the form of discounts, gym memberships, or health plans, it gives employees a massive incentive to not just accept a job offer but stay there because they know other employers won’t offer the same.

But if you have no benefits, the harsh reality is that other employers will offer better. 

YOU’RE NOT OFFERING FLEXIBILITY 

Whilst flexibility can come under benefits, more and more it’s becoming a non-negotiable for candidates. 

If we were writing this in 2021 straight after the pandemic, we would be gathering stats about the people who want flexible working, but now it’s about the people who have flexible working. 

• Around 63% of the working population have flexible working (Equality and Human Rights Commission)

• 71% of candidates say flexible working is important when considering a new role (CIPD)

• 58% of businesses allow flexible working (People Management)

By not allowing flexible working when flexible working is possible, you put yourself at a massive disadvantage when trying to attract talent. 

And since only 9.8% of jobs are advertised as flexible, most candidates have to discuss the working pattern during the interview process, leading to dropouts if they’re dissatisfied.

So again, be transparent with this and ensure that what’s on your job advert aligns with what you say during conversations. Not only does it increase dropouts, it decreases the trust you’re trying to build with the candidate.

- Written by Lauren Whiteman

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