6 Ways to Manage Applicant No-Shows

 

Applicant no-shows or cancellations affects your productivity throughout the week. You either have to concede and reschedule, or find another candidate. It’s a waste of your time and causes a loss in productivity. So why are applicants not showing up?

There are a lot of potential reasons. Most commonly, your applicant might be scheduled for an interview at another company, or was unable to take time off from their current job. It could also be the traffic, the rain, or they got lost on the way to your office. Or simply, they forgot.

To help you overcome no-shows, here are some helpful tips.

1. Build rapport.

Aside from just inviting candidates to take exams or interviews, use the call to get to know your candidates, their aspirations, salary expectations, and see if everything aligns with the vacant position and the company. Pay attention to the small details, such as, their home address, and ask how they feel about the commute to your office. Long commutes can discourage applicants from the job.

Let them get to know your company at the same time. Tell them about the perks and what your company can offer in terms of their career goals. If they’re interested, they’ll definitely show up.

2. Keep it simple.

Talk with your hiring managers so you can schedule interviews as soon as possible. Applicants frequently grab the first opportunity that comes their way because they’re unsure whether another might come. Your company might have the better offer, but the applicant will most likely choose the company that makes the offer first.

3. Be flexible.

The best candidates are often the hardest to pin down. They might have difficulty finding time on their schedule for an interview. Make it easier for them by asking their preferred schedule, and work around your own to accommodate them. You can even do Skype or phone interviews if your company allows it.

4. Keep communicating.

Confirm your interview by following up via email, text message, and phone call. Send a reminder about the interview the day before the schedule. Provide all necessary information like your complete office address, what to bring, what to wear, and who to look for once they arrive at your location. Ask them to notify you in advance if they need to cancel the interview.

Most importantly, treat your applicants like future customers and answer all their questions politely. Whether or not they got hired, the positive experience will stay with them and they might just become a customer, thanks to you!

5. Have back-ups.

Have back-up candidates ready in case the ones you invite don’t show up. Try doubling the number of candidates you invite for exams. You can also overlap your interview schedules among qualified candidates in case one backs-out, serious applicants won’t mind waiting a few minutes in case all candidates show up.

6. Solicit feedback.

Ask applicants about your process. You can insert this at the end of your interviews or through a survey sent via email.

By following these steps and simplifying your hiring process, you can reduce the frequency of no-shows.

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