Scheduling Interviews is time-consuming and locks up diary space. With interview no-shows on the increase, what’s going wrong and what can you do to fix it?

Candidate No-Shows

Many HR officers report an increase in the number of interview no-shows. They’re experiencing candidate drop-outs, even after confirming on the day of interview. This change of behaviour puts pressure on HR departments because line managers can lay blame at HR’s door.

The increase in candidate no-shows seems consistent, with and without recruitment systems. So, what’s changed?

Recruiting has Changed

More employers are advertising their own vacancies. More job boards offer 1-click methods of application. Applying for jobs is increasingly convenient and resistance-free applications seems attractive to employers. However, that 1-click convenience has been weaponized by applicants.

Applicants still complain about poor feedback from employers. Too few employers take the time to update applicants on their progress. In response, applicants have become less selective.

Silence encourages jobseekers to apply for more roles to improve their prospects. They spend less time reading job adverts and more time clicking. To back this up, most HR officers report an increase in the numbers of unsuitable applicants.

However, the strongest applicants will develop more options with more employers. It is against this backdrop that we must consider interview no-shows.

The Applicant

HR officers expect that if somebody applied for a job, they should want the interview. But, we forget that their specific interest in our vacancy might not be as strong as we would like. We forget that the applicant might have other job options. And we forget that some people just can’t say no.

Candidates should be able to confirm interviews with ease. That goes without question. But, we believe they should also feel more able to decline their interview if they’re not going to turn up.

Scheduling Interviews

Your Applicant Tracking System should help. Scheduling an interview should update the applicant. Unconfirmed interviews should trigger automatic reminders. Declining an interview should be as easy as accepting it. You shouldn’t need the best ATS to achieve these goals.

What about self-scheduling interviews? This allows a candidate to schedule their own interview within an offered period. It sounds great, but does it work? Evidence is to the contrary. HR Heads tell us that self-scheduling can lock out diary time waiting for confirmations that never arrive. Weaker candidates are also blamed for locking out prime times at the expense of better applicants. If recruiting starts with 1-click applications, we can begin to understand why this happens.

Finally, should your best candidate see a reducing number of interview slots upon revisiting the diary, they can quickly feel part of a herd. Your candidate can calculate a reduced chance of interview success. This alone can make an interview no-show more likely.

What your ATS Should Do

The best Applicant Tracking System will get the balance right. It should offer options for pre-confirmed interviews in addition to those requesting confirmation. Sending invitations should be as simple as specifying the type, date, time, location and other details, before releasing an invitation from a template.

Your candidates should be able to click-confirm their interview. They should also be able to decline or request a change. Your ATS should send automatic reminders of confirmed interviews close to the date. It should also send reminders to confirm or decline interviews that are outstanding.

The option to decline should be prominent, so that confirmations will be more reliable. That leads to more successes and fewer interview no-shows.

Review any of the 1-click application methods, if you are using it. Find some balance so that convenience doesn’t win out over serious intent. For example, take a look at the way in which CVMinder ATS can achieve more applicants with Indeed Apply.

Tracking Interview Status

Line managers should be able to track all upcoming interviews. They should also receive email warnings when applicants haven’t confirmed. That saves time or helps managers and HR officers to intervene.

Bringing interview confirmations to the attention of managers relieves the pressure on HR officers. Managers can see much more clearly that a candidate confirmed. There’s nobody to blame in HR.

Interview Management Summary

Managing Interviews always be challenging. But we can do some things to reduce the number of interview no-shows . Review how easy it is to apply for your jobs with 1-click application methods and make appropriate changes. Then review whether applicants find it as easy to decline interviews as accept them. Try applying for one of your own jobs so that you can run through the process and check things out.

Want to know more?

CVMinder ATS is an award winning Applicant Tracking System. Our Ambassador Customers in education, care and hospitality shared the best of their experiences on the subject of interview management. They shaped new features that make interview management work better rt reduce the number of interview no-shows. Contact us now to find out more.