Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on August 17, 2018.
Chandra Kill had scheduled face-to-face interviews with 21 candidates to fill certain jobs at the employment screening company. Only 11 showed up.
“About half of it peeled off,” Keel said. “They seem so excited and interested, and then they don’t show up or call and you’re left wondering what happened. A year or two ago it wasn’t like that.”
Executive Brief
With the U.S. unemployment rate at an 18-year low and more jobs than people looking for work, candidates commit to scheduled interviews. In some cases, new hires don’t show up for their first day of work.
“We’re in a unique situation where there’s definitely been a shift in the world of employment in terms of supply and demand,” said Susie Willingham, director of talent acquisition at CareHere, a healthcare company.
“We’re all fishing out of the same pond and people have options now and the opportunity to really explore different positions and roles and compensation levels. And with that option, you have people changing their minds in the middle – it can be very frustrating.”
He estimated that about 1 in 10 candidates don’t show up for interviews, and that no-shows are more common among lower-level roles.
To be invited for a personal interview at At Kill, candidates had to go through an hour-long online assessment and a 15-minute phone interview. So they are pretty far along in the process by the time they are invited into the office for an interview.
While there’s nothing wrong with accepting another job offer, bailing on an employer without warning could have lasting effects.
“It’s a small world,” said Johnny Taylor, president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management. And even if you think you don’t want to work at the company, hiring managers are moving. “You compromise yourself. You don’t know what this is going to look like to hurt you later.”
He added that he has heard of a candidate flying out for a job interview only to skip that part of the trip.
“I expect if I send you a plane ticket and block two hours to meet you, you’ll show up.” As a result, he said, some companies ask candidates to agree to reimburse travel expenses if they take the trip but falter in the interview.
In an effort to curb the problem, recruiters have changed their tactics and are moving through the hiring process more quickly. If they have a suitable candidate who seems like a good fit, they work to interview them the next day.
To be fair, either part of the hiring process can disappear without a word. Recruiters may also not follow up with candidates after an initial contact or interview, especially during periods of high unemployment.
“We all have to respect people’s time,” Willingham said. “We have to keep both lines of communication open and be honest with each other. It might not be the right opportunity today, but there’s no reason to burn a bridge.”
