By Alison Goldman
Are you struggling to convert top talent into hires?
Many staffing firms have numerous open orders, and simply not enough candidates to fill them all. Despite a difficult economy, the labour market remains tight. To be “ghosted” by a candidate means that at some point during the recruiting or interviewing process, they disappeared without a trace or explanation. According to a recent Monster survey, about three-quarters of recruiters say they’ve been ghosted, and nearly half (47%) of candidates admit to ghosting.
To understand ghosting, you must consider the generational makeup of today’s candidates. According to the World Economic Forum, Millennials make up about 37% of today’s available workforce, with Generation Z contributing an additional 61 million workers. Our survey found these cohorts to be the most skeptical candidates, with a combined 54% of candidates distrustful of promises that companies make about job expectations, benefits, perks, and culture. Our data also shows that these generations place a high importance on company culture, further amplifying this sentiment. Candidates may only make it halfway through the process if they don’t trust or value the opportunity they are presented.
Your best weapon against ghosting is a great candidate experience
An investment in a great candidate experience can push candidates through the funnel faster, increase conversion rates, and boost recruiter productivity. Recruiting is still a very human business, and your team’s greatest asset is their time. That time is better spent with candidates who are likely to complete their application because they trust the job opportunity, believe in your firm, and understand how you can help their career. Staffing agencies that invest time in explaining to candidates who they are and how they can help are successfully winning job seeker confidence and building stronger rapport.
One workforce solutions firm that understands the value of great candidate experience is Nesco Resource. “Now more than ever, employers are competing for candidates’ attention. A positive impression from application to onboarding is crucial to finding (and keeping!) talent in a crunched market,” says Anastasia Fete, vice president of marketing at Nesco Resource. “We believe that by reducing friction throughout the hiring process, we set the tone for a successful placement.” Kevin Hatgas, director of digital marketing at Nesco Resource, says “Job seekers are increasingly mobile-first. When we looked to redesign our website in early 2022, the top priority was ensuring that job seekers could easily and quickly find and apply to open positions no matter what device they are using. By keeping that experience top of mind, we were able to improve overall traffic, online application rates, and get more people working”.
The Fountain Group has also focused its sites on building trust, adding FAQs to enhance process clarity, and leveraging Google reviews from real job seekers. “We are extremely proud of and grateful for the positive reviews our contractors and clients took the time to post about The Fountain Group on Google. We believe that highlighting those positive experiences on our website provides additional credibility to our proclamation that TFG truly is “Your Ally in the Quest for Workforce Success” says Kelly Cone, president. Adding third party reviews and providing visibility into who you are and how your process works, conveys your firm’s confidence in your work, legitimizes your firm to skeptical seekers, and ensures they get the message: We can help you achieve your goals!
Monster has been a pioneer in online recruiting since 1994
Many of our staffing clients have turned to us for candidate experience and employer branding help. If you would like more information on the resources available or a complimentary audit of your career site, contact your Monster representative today.
Alison Goldman is team lead and strategic account manager at Monster. This article was previously published in the American Staffing Association’s “Staffing Success” magazine in December 2022.