Where Are They?
It’s so frustrating when you’ve arranged the time for an interview, brought in a couple of other stakeholders and hired a room especially for the occasion, only to be let down by the candidate not arriving. It’s such a waste of time, effort and money.
That ‘no show’ brings up a whole raft of questions, such as:
Are they at another interview?
Have they accepted another job already?
Are they ill?
Was your job offer enticing enough?
Did you communicate with them enough?
Is It Us Or Them ?
With the frustration of all these unanswered questions spinning around your head, compounded by the stakeholders asking you what they should do now, that irritation can quickly lead to anger, sending the rest of your day into freefall.
More constructive would be to stop thinking of your challenges but to think of those of the candidate. Did their car break down or perhaps there was a problem with public transport? Were they ill or have other personal problems that stopped them attending? Did they have an accident on their way to you?
Often, these are the last thoughts we have and without any form of communication, we don’t know the reason or how this could have been avoided.
Communication Is Key
Communication is key. How could your communications have been improved so that you may have avoided this ‘no show’?
You obviously sent them an invite to the interview, in which you asked for their confirmation of attendance. That may have been some time ago. We know of instances where a month could have elapsed between the confirmation receipt and the interview date. To you, that may not seem particularly long but for a job seeker, that could be a lifetime.
Also, there are so many channels of communication available to us now that many seem to have forgotten the phone and the post. They are underutilised methods, the preference being the more instant channels like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, as well as many others that are springing up all the time.
Ask them the communication methods they prefer to use and make it comfortable for them. Although not exhaustive, below are seven more questions that may start you thinking:
Did anyone call them today before the interview, to confirm that everything in their world was fine? Did they receive a confirmation letter by post, giving details about where and when they were expected, or did you expect them to check your website for the details?
Then what about your website? Is it clear and well laid out, accessible on a tablet or mobile as well as a desktop? It’s still a valid question as some websites are still very clunky when it comes to mobile devices.
Did you contact them a few days before the interview, telling them how you were looking forward to meeting and giving them as many options as possible to contact you in an emergency?
How about any exercises for them? Did you engage them with a questionnaire, assessment or survey for them to complete? An activity keeps them motivated and can also act as a great filtering tool for you.
Did you let them know how your interview process works and what they can expect to happen at each stage?
Has anyone approached them, asking for any specific questions they may have had about any stage of the process? We always leave the onus on the candidate to ask but they may not be comfortable doing so. A communication with common FAQ’s may help with this.
Did anyone speak to them on the phone, so they hear the voice of the company? Perhaps this can be a video session where they can see as well as hear the company.
The Quality Of Your Interview Process Is A Selling Point For Your Company
Outlining your interview process is a great way to present your company’s professionalism, giving them confidence and trust in your company. Perhaps give them a schedule of the communications you’ll send and when.
Send them communications to prepare for the interview to help build up their anticipation. If your candidate is applying for job openings every day, yours will soon drift out of their memory unless you keep it to the front of their mind.
Repay their interest in your company by becoming interested in them. Constant, nurturing communication will convey that you want them to come to your interview, giving them their opportunity to demonstrate their worth to you.
We hope this helps for the next time you have a recruitment drive. The last thing you want is to be scratching your head and asking yourself, ‘where are they?’
Not Sure Your Companies Recruitment Process Is Fit For Purpose?
Wasting time with interview no shows ?
Failing to recruit the staff that you need and to retain those that you like ?
Get in touch we can help you understand where your process is going astray.