Why Communication Matters in Recruitment

If there is one thing we are hearing more and more from candidates at the moment, it is how frustrating and disheartening it can be to apply for a job and hear absolutely nothing back.

For employers and hiring managers, recruitment is often one priority among many. Vacancies change, workloads increase, interviews get delayed and sometimes a hiring decision simply takes longer than expected. Candidates generally understand that. What is much harder to understand is complete silence.

Candidate ghosting has become a genuine issue in recruitment. It can happen at any stage of the hiring process, from somebody submitting an application and never receiving an acknowledgement, through to a candidate attending one or more interviews and then hearing nothing further. The longer somebody has invested in the process, the more damaging that silence can become.

Good recruitment communication does not need to be complicated, but it does need to be consistent.

What is candidate ghosting?

Candidate ghosting is the term commonly used when an employer, recruiter or hiring manager stops communicating with an applicant without explaining what has happened or whether they are still being considered for the role.

Sometimes this happens immediately after an application. In other cases, a candidate may have spoken to the hiring team, completed an assessment or attended several interviews before communication suddenly stops.

From the employer’s side, it may simply be that the recruitment process has become busy or delayed. From the candidate’s side, however, it can feel very different. They may be left wondering whether the role is still live, whether their application has been overlooked or whether they should continue waiting for an answer.

For someone actively looking for work, particularly somebody who may already be dealing with financial pressure or a long job search, that uncertainty can be incredibly difficult.

A rejection may be disappointing, but in most cases it is far better than being left wondering.

Candidate experience starts long before somebody joins your business

Candidate experience is sometimes treated as something that only matters once a person reaches interview stage. In reality, it begins the moment they first interact with your vacancy.

The job advert they read, the application process they complete, the communication they receive and the way they are treated throughout the hiring process all contribute to their impression of your organisation.

That means recruitment communication is also part of your employer brand.

Businesses can invest heavily in careers pages, social media, employee benefits and company culture, but if a candidate spends two hours preparing for an interview and is then ignored afterwards, that experience is likely to have a far greater impact on how they feel about the organisation.

People remember how businesses make them feel, even when they do not get the job.

An unsuccessful candidate today could become a future employee, customer, supplier, business contact or referral source. They may also know somebody who would be perfect for your next vacancy. Treating people well throughout the recruitment process is not only the right thing to do, it makes commercial sense too.

Silence creates unnecessary uncertainty

Most candidates do not expect lengthy personalised feedback after every application. They understand that employers can receive large volumes of CVs and that not every applicant can receive an individual response.

What they do reasonably expect is to know where they stand.

A simple email explaining that an application has been unsuccessful closes the process and allows that person to move on. Without it, candidates are often left trying to interpret the silence.

Should they follow up? Is the company still interviewing? Has the vacancy been put on hold? Did their application even arrive?

Good job applicant communication removes that uncertainty.

This becomes even more important after interview. Once somebody has taken time away from work, travelled to your premises, prepared for an interview or completed several stages of a recruitment process, they deserve a clear outcome.

Even if a final decision has been delayed, a short update is usually enough. Telling somebody that interviews are still taking place and that you expect to update them the following week takes very little time, but it can make a huge difference to the candidate experience.

Candidate ghosting can damage your employer brand

A company’s employer brand is not simply what it says about itself. It is also what candidates, employees and former employees say about their experience.

Recruitment is often one of the first meaningful interactions somebody has with an organisation, which means the hiring process can shape their opinion of the business very quickly.

Candidates talk about their experiences. They share them with friends and colleagues, post about them online and leave reviews on employment platforms. A positive candidate experience can strengthen your reputation, even when somebody has been unsuccessful. A poor one can do the opposite.

This is particularly important in specialist industries and local labour markets where the available candidate pool may already be limited. If somebody has a poor experience with your organisation once, they may be reluctant to apply again in the future.

You could therefore lose not only today’s candidate, but tomorrow’s too.

Good candidates are assessing employers as well

Recruitment is not a one way decision.

Employers are deciding whether a candidate is right for the role, but candidates are also deciding whether the organisation is somewhere they would like to work.

Strong candidates may be speaking to several employers at the same time, and the quality of the hiring process can influence their decision.

A business that communicates clearly, arranges interviews efficiently and keeps applicants informed gives the impression of being organised and respectful. If another employer repeatedly delays decisions, fails to respond or leaves candidates chasing for updates, that creates a very different impression.

The recruitment process is often a candidate’s first real glimpse of what working inside an organisation might feel like.

If communication is poor before they join, it is understandable that they may question what communication will be like afterwards.

What if you receive hundreds of applications?

High application volumes are a genuine challenge for employers, but this is exactly where recruitment systems and automation should make communication easier.

Nobody expects a hiring manager to telephone hundreds of unsuccessful applicants individually. An applicant tracking system can acknowledge applications, send updates and issue rejection emails at the appropriate stage.

The important thing is to make sure that communication is built into the recruitment process rather than treated as something to deal with if there is time left at the end.

Candidates should receive confirmation that their application has arrived. Once applications have been reviewed, those who are not progressing should be informed. Candidates invited to interview should know what to expect, and anyone who has attended an interview should be given an outcome.

If a decision is delayed, communicate that too.

Recruitment does not always go to plan, and candidates generally do not expect it to. They are much more likely to be understanding when they know what is happening.

Technology can make recruitment considerably easier, but it should support the human side of hiring rather than replace it. We have looked at this in more detail in our article on using AI in recruitment without losing the human touch.

How should employers reject candidates professionally?

Candidate rejection is never going to be the enjoyable part of recruitment, but it can still be handled well.

For candidates who have only submitted an application, a clear and polite rejection email is usually perfectly appropriate. The aim is simply to close the loop and thank them for the time they invested in applying.

Once someone has reached interview stage, a little more personal communication is appropriate. Where possible, useful feedback can help a candidate understand the decision and may even help them with future applications.

Feedback does not need to be lengthy. Explaining that another candidate had more direct experience in a particular area, or that the successful applicant had managed a larger team, is far more useful than a generic message saying somebody else was a better fit.

Candidates understand that they will not get every job they apply for. What many find difficult is having no idea why a decision was made, or worse, never being told that a decision has been made at all.

We have put together more practical advice on how to tell a candidate they didn’t get the job while protecting your employer brand.

Candidates can also ask an employer for feedback following an unsuccessful application or interview, although employers are not generally required to provide it. ACAS provides guidance for applicants on asking for feedback after a job rejection.

Communication should work both ways

It is also fair to say that candidate ghosting is not solely an employer problem.

Candidates sometimes stop responding too. Interviews are missed, calls go unanswered and occasionally an applicant who appeared very interested simply disappears from the process.

The same principle applies.

Good recruitment relies on communication from both sides.

If circumstances change, tell the other person. If you are no longer interested in a job, say so. If a role has been placed on hold, tell the candidates involved. If you have accepted another offer, let the employer know.

People are usually far more understanding of an honest answer than they are of silence.

A better candidate experience does not need to be complicated

Creating a good candidate experience is often less about major changes and more about getting the basics right consistently.

Acknowledge applications, set realistic expectations and tell candidates what the next stage will involve. If you promise an update by a particular date, make sure you provide one, even if the update is simply that there is no final decision yet.

Most importantly, remember that there is a person behind every CV.

When employers are reviewing dozens or even hundreds of applications, it is easy for candidates to start feeling like numbers in a system. For the person applying, however, that vacancy may represent a significant career opportunity, financial security or the chance to make an important change in their life.

That deserves some consideration.

Employers reviewing their wider recruitment process may also find the ACAS guidance on fair recruitment useful.

Candidate experience should be part of every recruitment strategy

Recruitment technology has made hiring faster and more efficient, but efficiency should never come at the expense of basic human communication.

The best recruitment processes combine both.

Employers should be able to manage applications efficiently while still keeping people informed. Candidates should understand where they are in the process and what happens next. Hiring managers should have a clear system for progressing, rejecting and communicating with applicants.

At Ad Talent Recruitment, we believe attracting candidates is only one part of successful recruitment. The way those candidates are treated once they apply matters just as much.

Our flat fee recruitment packages combine professional advert writing and multi job board advertising with applicant management and optional candidate screening, giving employers as much or as little support as they need throughout the hiring process.

Because ultimately, recruitment is about people. Whether somebody becomes your next employee or not, they should never be left wondering whether anyone bothered to read their application.

If you need help attracting candidates or creating a more manageable recruitment process, get in touch with Ad Talent and we will be happy to talk through the options.