(Repost) Where’s My New Hire? How to Handle a Ghosting Candidate on Day 1

“Ghosts seem harder to please than we are; it is as though they haunted for haunting’s sake — much as we relive, brood and smolder over our pasts.” — Author Elizabeth Bowen

About seven years ago, with the rise of online dating and dating apps, came the term ghosting. In essence, it meant that two people had agreed to meet at a set time on a set date and one of them just didn’t show up. No phone call, no text message, no follow up whatsoever. While typically thought to be poor form, this method of disconnecting has since infiltrated other aspects of life, including the workplace.

At first, there were stories about candidates skipping out interviews, presumably because the job wasn’t of interest or they found something better. Annoying, yes. Rude, for sure. The long-term impact on the organization varies. Though at this stage, potentially minuscule. However lately, the narrative shifted. Rather than missing interviews, candidates turned new hires began jumping ship on their start date without so much as a head’s up.

Beyond the Miss Manners-style implications, this scenario hurts the bottom line. At this stage in the recruiting process, there’s an investment to consider. By one account, cost per hire is upwards of $4,400 on average. There’s also time and effort, with time to fill hovering around 30 days. Ouch. But what’s an employer to do?

Pause and Reflect

With ghosting, one of the biggest frustrations is never knowing the reason why. Logically, it’s most likely on this new hire, though sometimes it could reflect on the organization. So, once established that this person is never, ever, ever showing up, quit calling them and do some recruiting research.

Trace their individual experience to identify any possible pain points in the candidate experience. How did automation and communication factor in? Did the candidate get strung along for months on end? Were their start date and onboarding process spelled out and confirmed ahead of time? Also, examine their offer and how this might compare with similar positions that may have lured them away.

Low unemployment rates mean that this is an employees’ market and right now, ghosting isn’t limited to new hires. If employees are also disappearing without notice, there may be a culture issue to blame. Before the trend continues, try and get to the heart of the matter through internal introspection.  

Recruit Continuously

Observation complete, advertence in hand, get back to what’s truly important: finding a talented new hire to fill this role. Now, chances are, there were a few other applicants under consideration before the ghost got selected.

Before starting the process anew, think about going back to these other candidates and explaining that the position reopened. Those still available with a legitimate interest in the organization will likely set aside any bruised feelings for another chance. There is also the possibility of finding fresh candidates hiding out somewhere deep inside the ATS, or maybe even internally. Always hit refresh before restarting.

If this isn’t an option, think about, recruiting continuously. While there’s no foolproof way to escape ghosting, having a free flow of candidates may ease the fallout if and when it occurs again. Whenever feasible, keep scheduling interviews since dropout doesn’t always happen on the first day and maintain the open req until a new hire is 100 percent onboard.

This article originally appeared on Recruiting Daily. To continue reading, visit: https://recruitingdaily.com/wheres-my-new-hire-how-to-handle-a-ghosting-candidate-on-day-1/.