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Why Candidates Drop Out And How To Prevent This In The Future

Candidate dropout is often disappointing and frustrating for any business. It can occur when a candidate abandons their job application, chooses not to attend an interview or leaves an online submission incomplete. However, either way, it’s time-consuming, financially risky and causes a major inconvenience for employers and recruiters.

To encourage candidate retention, it’s important to look at why candidates have previously dropped out and how this can be prevented in the future.

Spot potential risks and consider these 3 dropout culprits…

recruiters discussing how to stop candidates drop out

1. Slow process

Candidates have little patience for a long and drawn-out hiring process. Their time is precious, so why wait for an opportunity that could take twice as long as the standard employer? Within the UK, Glassdoor determines the average time it takes to hire is 27.5 days. Therefore any longer than this and employers face the risk of candidates abandoning their application, dropping out and moving on to another potential (competitor) job opportunity.

Often slow hiring can be the result of; limited resources, small budgets, or an ineffective and complicated recruitment process that’s off-putting to the majority of potential job seekers.

How to avoid: So how can you avoid these possible setbacks? Revisit stages in a recruitment strategy where candidates are seemingly taking the longest to complete or areas which they are abandoning altogether. Reconsider altering these and make adjustments to create a more simple hiring experience. These could include utilising technology, increasing engagement or cutting out any unnecessary steps that take up employer and candidate time.

2. Failed communication

All too often candidates feel ignored during and even after their hiring experience. Many employers fail to communicate even the most basic of information to job seekers. Did they make it past the application stage? Is a potential interview on the cards?

Communication can act as a mechanism to ‘check-in’ on candidates, to ensure you listen to and acknowledge their concerns. Encouraging them to continue with their application, by providing reassurance and answers to their questions. Without it, both parties will suffer. A candidate can feel forgotten about or unimportant. Whilst, on the other hand, the employer might lose out on the chance to potentially make a great hire. The overall brand perception is also compensated for when unhappy candidates are dropping out and sharing their negative experiences with others online and offline.

How to avoid: Engage, with expert communication skills. This will create an essence of approachability as an employer and encourage potential candidates to express any queries they may have. Communication can also be key to diffusing any possible incidents that may occur when a candidate feels dissatisfied and likely to drop out.

Remember to take onboard candidate feedback after hiring. This can demonstrate a real value and respect in the candidate opinion. Whilst also providing hiring teams with invaluable information going forward in their recruitment strategy.

3. Complicated process

Keep things simple. The focus should not be on creating a recruitment strategy that’s so difficult to navigate it becomes a bit of a minefield for the job seeker to even reach the interview stage. If they persist and are offered an interview, will they be likely to even accept the invitation? If it was that difficult to apply, then what’s the interview going to be like!?

How to avoid: If a recruitment strategy does require a little more thought, such as; online application questions and aptitude tests, then the candidate needs to be informed of this prior to their application. Give them plenty of warning and time to prepare for these types of tests, if you truly want to make the best hire.

Transparency is key in preventing applicants from dropping out. If the job seeker feels prepared for the upcoming hiring stages, employers and hiring teams are much more likely to increase their talent retention rate.

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