Are you still there? Keeping candidates engaged

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, recruiters and hiring managers have experienced increasing rates of candidate unresponsiveness as the nation's economy has recovered from the 2008 recession. Now, more than a decade into the recovery, the job market has turned on its head, favoring job seekers, who have the increased liberty to be picky when it comes to employers.

In fact, many hiring managers have described their experiences engaging candidates in terms that originate in the world of online dating. Ghosting, the phenomenon where one party to a conversation suddenly and permanently exits the conversation as if they never existed, is no longer confined to the world of dating apps. Recruiters and hiring managers fully understand the frustration that occurs when candidates stop responding to messages.

Keeping candidates on the line

So how do hiring managers keep candidates from ghosting them? To effectively engage job seekers at every stage of the hiring process, stakeholders must identify opportunities to engage candidates on their terms. By thinking strategically about what candidates want, employers can keep them in the pipeline.

For example, candidates don't like waiting to hear the status of their job application. When they click the "submit" button, it often feels like sending a communication into a dark void. Employers can ease this anxiety by sending a quick follow-up message confirming receipt of the application and estimating the time it will take to formally respond.

For more insights into how to keep candidates engaged throughout the hiring process, check out our infographic below: