Why is your candidate drop off rate high? What can you do to prevent it?
Application Time
Well done, you’ve got them interested, and that’s half the battle, but keeping them is the other! On average, around 80% of candidates abandon an application. But why? The biggest reason for this is the time it takes to complete them vs the chance they will actually make it to the next stage. Application processes which require candidates to invest hours of their time are simply not worth it. So, if you really want to evaluate your candidate drop-offs, take a look at your application process. The initial application should only take 5-8 minutes to complete. And if it’s optimised correctly, this should still provide enough information to filter and progress to the next stage.
Communication
A lack of communication is another big causer of candidate drop-offs, and with the amount of technology readily available, there’s no excuse. Both candidates and employers have to be fully invested and committed to the process for it to be successful. Candidates won’t be committed if they don’t know what that process is. They want to know the step by step what will be expected of them, when they are likely to hear back and importantly actually getting that result. Give candidates a point of contact with a prompt response to ensure you solve any problems for them which may arise.
Mobile Optimisation
Make sure your careers website, recruitment website or jobs board is user friendly by ensuring it’s mobile compatible. This means no matter what device they’re using; your website will adjust accordingly while still being optimised. And it’s worthwhile achieving, as 40% of job seekers search for jobs on their phone, so if your website isn’t compatible with all devices, you risk losing out on a lot of talent simply because they can’t use it accordingly. Whether they’re just searching for company information or beginning their application process, make sure no matter what their intentions, they can do so effortlessly.
User-Friendly Experience
Do everything in your power to ensure the process is enjoyable and easy to complete. Although mobile optimisation is extremely important, it’s only one part to ensuring your process is user friendly. Is your website secure? Can candidates easily upload their documents? Can they do the application process in one place? Another example is pop-up windows, either on your careers website or during the application process. This can be distracting and off-putting to candidates.
Technology
If you make the process easier for yourself, then chances are you make it easier for candidates too. Utilising technology can help you to avoid candidate drop-offs by streamlining and assisting you in your methods. Like we discussed earlier, communication is key to keeping them engaged but doing so manually, is not practical or efficient. If you invest in technology, it can provide you with enhanced communication capabilities such as bespoke automated responses, interview scheduling, filtering tools, and so much more to optimise the process, helping to gain the maximum results with less time and money consumption.
Candidate Portals
Let candidates access a dedicated portal. This increasingly improves the candidate experience and avoids the opportunity for candidate drop-offs. This one area can seamlessly take them through the whole hiring and onboarding journey. A place which is user friendly, where they can go to track their status, complete outstanding tasks, upload relevant documents, build a profile, sign up for job alerts and stay in continuous communication with you.
Being Visible
Help keep both the passive and active candidate engaged by being visible before, during and after the application process through various channels. Create a sense of community by allowing candidates the chance to stay connected to you. Whether that’s by having a candidate portal like we said, access to exclusive content, a dedicated social profile or a community group or through sharing content such as tips and advice. Then make sure they are aware of these other resources and channels so that they can utilise them should they wish to.
Being Clear & Transparent
From the very start of their journey make it clear not only what is expected of them if they were to be successful but what they should also expect from you. Make sure your job description clearly states the skills, experience and traits required, along with the benefits, salary and culture that comes with it. Provide as much information as you can, which is accurate. Don’t engage them at the start of the process with the job description but lose them in the application process because they then find out there’s an age restriction or an essential skill needed that they do not have.
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