Why candidates don’t turn up for Interviews?
Imagine scheduling an interview with a candidate whom you thought would be a perfect fit for the post of a content writer and he doesn't show up. How would you feel - devastated? Annoyed? Terrible? I guess all of them.
And you have the right to feel so. It takes so much time, energy and cost to the company to schedule interviews and all goes in vain when the candidate doesn't show up.
According to economic times India adds 10-12 million new workers to its workforce every year.
Earlier, the biggest problem the nation faced was to get them jobs. Now the problem has changed. If you talk to companies now, they will complain about candidates not turning up for the interviews by making excuses that do not make sense at all.
But why does this happen? This needs to be addressed. Yes, students’ not showing up is an unprofessional act from their side but then there's little you can do about it. What you can do is to introspect if there are ways you can tackle this problem or at least, reduce it.
But before we get to that, let's see what are some common excuses students make for not attending already scheduled interviews;
1. Many interviews on the same day
2. Got offer from the XYZ Company on the same day
3. Personal problems
4. Applied by mistake
5. Did not like the Job description
And the worst part...
No response at all.
Okay so now that we know what we are dealing with, here are some steps you can take to bring this problem down at its feet:
1. Choose the proper day:
Holidays work best. Students do not usually come up with any excuses on holidays as most of the offices and workplaces are closed on such days. Yes, this does demand walking an extra mile from your side but then again, you have to leave no stone unturned to make sure candidates show up for interviews. Scheduling an interview on off-days will be one such step (and an effective one!)
2. Quality over quantity:
Leave aside the requirement for "the most suitable candidate for the job profile". First, you need to point out the apt candidate who is very likely to attend the interview. Line up candidates who are in dire need of a job - you'll come to know this while talking them overcall before inviting them for an interview.
There are hiring managers who have reported a 100% candidate show-up rate when they laser targeted the neediest ones
3. Make them comfortable:
Your first interaction with a candidate is the most crucial. The old saying which says "The first impression is the last impression" perfectly suits here. You have to understand that not only the candidate has to appear formal and professional, but even you have to make the first impression right for them to show up.
Here's what you can do:
• Don't scare them with heavy terms and conditions first up
• Try to listen to the candidate
• Take their names often during the call. This will ease their nerves.
• Try maintaining a calm tone
4. Don't be too pushy:
You can do all the things right but still, the last call to go for an interview lies with the candidate. The last communication often plays a big role in his/her decision. If you've pushed them too much to attend an interview, there are very high chances he/she might abstain from attending the interview.
Make a good rapport with the candidate over the call. Remember, meeting your company's requirements is not the candidate's job.
5. Change the hiring pattern:
If you are confident that you are doing everything right and even then the candidates aren't turning up for the interview, then you need to introspect your hiring structure and look for the possible loopholes.
What are the places you are sourcing your candidates from? Rolling out job opportunities on the company's "careers" page can be a challenge to attract proper candidates, especially when your company is mid-sized. Observe the trend and go with the flow.
If you observe, you will find that a large chunk of satisfied hiring managers are either from LinkedIn or partners of online assessment platforms like HireMee. Now what such platforms do is that they connect students with companies and make the interactions happen by providing ample recruitment solutions.
Such healthy interactions lead to increased job offers and everyone finds themselves in a win-win situation. .
6. Video interviews:
This is the best option to make an interview happen, if the candidate is likely to give an excuse for mode of transportation or availability issue. Video interviews (or Skype Interviews) are increasingly becoming popular these days because they can be taken from anywhere and have the same level of interaction just like any conventional interview.
