Xenium’s Senior HR Business Partners know a lot about human resources, and we want to share their knowledge and insight with you! Each week, we publish a question from you, our readers, and our experienced HR leaders provide thoughtful, helpful advice addressing your HR dilemmas. Submit questions by emailing them to julie.matthiessen@xeniumhr.com or by clicking on the chat icon at the bottom of this page. We are excited to partner with you…one HR question at a time!
This week’s featured HR expert is Lacey Partipilo.
Watch the video of Lacey discussing “ghosting” and how an employer can prevent it.
“Ghosting” in the hiring process is something many employers are experiencing nowadays. It refers to when a candidate goes dark and you stop hearing from them before you’ve even had a chance to make them an offer.
There are a few things you can do as an employer to avoid ghosting in the hiring process. The first thing is to not ghost candidates yourself. If you’re not interested in a candidate, let them know. Follow up with candidates you’re passing on.
Another thing you can do is stay involved with them through the process. That can include things like sending them videos about what it’s like to work at your organization, sending them a list of cool places to go to lunch around the office. Send them interesting things to keep them engaged so they’re not out there looking for or engaging with other employers.
There really aren’t certain industries or demographics that are experiencing this more than others. I think millennials get a bad rap, and oftentimes employers think they are the ones doing all the ghosting. But my clients are seeing it across the board—all ages, all industries.
And usually it happens when employers aren’t staying engaged with those candidates. So that’s something you can do: stay engaged. Be in touch with your candidates and know that they are looking for other jobs. Ask for feedback in the process, too. If there’s something about your company they’re not interested in, maybe ask them about that. Find out what you could be doing differently as an employer in the process.