Join host David Kruse and his guests as they explore and explain the (believe it or not...) fascinating world of insurance. They'll break down complex concepts and share helpful tips all while sampling the finest beverages Madison, Wisconsin has to offer.
David: Mary Jo , you and I were talking a little bit about the concept of ghosting and what that means in the context of hiring and attracting new talent, tell me more about that.
Mary Jo: Well, ghosting is a term that we hear more about these days. It's a situation where an applicant disappears at some point in time in the hiring process. It could be at the beginning where they're submitting a resume or application all the way through to not showing up for interviews, or being offered a job and not showing up on the first day.
David: What would make a job applicant disengage with the hiring process if it could potentially lead to an offer?
Mary Jo: It could be things that the employer has control over or that they don't have control over. The employer doesn't have control over how many other job offerings the potential employee might be entertaining at any one time. We all know that unemployment is very low, so when people are out looking for jobs there are a lot of different employers that they may be involved with in the interview process. So, if your process as an employer is more difficult than an applicant might like to continue on with, or they figure out along the course of the way that they're not very interested in you, or they're interested in somebody else, they might just disappear and stop returning your calls or emails.
David: No employer wants to find themselves that position. What are some concrete steps that hiring managers and human resources professionals can take to make sure that they keep a prospect engaged throughout the entire hiring process?
Mary Jo: It would be great if employers would test drive their own process. For example:
- How difficult is it for a sample applicant to fill out your application? Is it something that can be done online or on a smartphone, or do you require people to print out the application, fill it out on paper, and bring it to your office?
- How quickly do you get back to applicants? Applicants may feel if two or three days go by and they don't hear from you that you're not interested.
- When it comes to interviewing, how many rounds of interviewing are you requiring people to go through? When it starts getting to be three or four rounds of interviews, people may just drop out because they don't have the time or ability to continue, or by that time they may have accepted another job.
David: Thank you for your insight today, Mary Jo. You can learn more about how to attract and retain top talent by reading Mary Jo's interview in InBusiness Magazine.
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