Why You’re Losing Candidates in the First 7 Days (and How to Fix It)
Many employers unknowingly deter top candidates from advancing in the hiring process. Issues such as a lengthy application, slow response time, or an inflexible interview process can cause candidates to lose interest and seek other job opportunities.
Creating an engaging and streamlined candidate experience is essential for attracting and keeping top talent. The following are reasons why you might be losing candidates, and improvement tips.
Your Application Process Is Too Long
Many candidates abandon a long and complicated application process. They would rather spend more time discussing why they are the best fit for the role during interviews than on job applications.
The following tips can help improve your application process:
- Keep your job application short and simple enough to complete in 5-10 minutes.
- Enable candidates to upload their LinkedIn information to reduce manual data entry.
- Include one-way video interviews on your application page.
- Use auto-invite functionality for remote screening.
Your Response Time Is Slow
Candidates can lose interest in your company due to scheduling delays, ghosting, or a lengthy hiring process. Because top candidates typically are off the market within 10 days, and the average interview process takes approximately 23 days, many candidates find jobs with competitors who have a faster response time.
You can speed up your candidate response time in the following ways:
- Implement calendar-synced interview scheduling to set up interviews quickly.
- Regularly communicate timelines and candidate updates throughout your hiring process.
- Use AI-generated interview summaries to speed up hiring decisions.
Your Hiring Process Lacks Flexibility
Rigid schedules and strictly in-person interviews can deter top talent. A lack of flexibility in hiring implies that employee work-life balance is not a priority.
The following strategies support flexibility in your hiring process:
- Offer on-demand video interviews for candidates to record their responses when their schedules permit.
- Provide flexible scheduling for live interviews.
- Emphasize your company’s commitment to work-life balance in job descriptions.
Your Interview Process Is One-Sided
Interviews that feel more like an interrogation than a conversation discourage top talent from advancing in the process. An overly scripted, rigid, or high-pressure interview process can create a negative experience that drives away candidates.
The following tips can help you create a well-structured, engaging interview process that excites candidates about the role:
- Train the interviewers to follow a structured interview process conversationally.
- Implement video interviews to provide a flexible, comfortable environment.
- Regularly communicate with candidates to maintain engagement.
Why Employers Partner with PrideStaff
PrideStaff’s On Target Process helps employers quickly secure top talent in three steps:
- Develop Map: We document job profiles, interview current employees, conduct job shadowing analysis, and administer benchmarking evaluations to create the blueprint for your ideal hire.
- Evaluate vs. Map: We source talent around your key hiring requirements, evaluate them against the map, and use interviews, skills tests, assessment tests, and reference checks to validate each.
- On Target Candidate: We refer final candidates who meet or exceed your map requirements for final assessment.
Hire the Best Candidates
You could be missing out on top candidates because your application process is too long, your response time is slow, or your hiring process is inflexible. You can resolve these issues by taking advantage of PrideStaff’s On Target Process to help you quickly secure top talent.
Contact your local PrideStaff office today for help improving your hiring process and securing top talent.
Related Posts:
Are Candidates Disappearing on You?
Losing Good Candidates to Competitors? These Tips Will Help Change That.
