Dropout, Managing Response Rates

We’re losing ‘good’ candidates!!!

Interview dropout rates fluctuate from role to role and from organisation to organisation. They are a downside of hiring, waste time and, crucially, lose you potential ‘good’ hires. Well, that’s the perception at least.

We explore why candidates make the decision not to progress with their interview for those concerned about response rates.

Turn the clock back to the days when your organisation conducted telephone interviews. If an applicant didn’t pick up when you called, you probably tried again before deciding they were no longer interested. How many times did you document missed telephone interviews? The truth is, very few recruiters/hiring managers recorded dropout rates for interviews over the ’phone. This makes determining the scale of past dropout rates extremely difficult.

Our software helps you pinpoint exactly where your applicants are in the pipeline at any given time. Consequently, it shines a light on candidates who make a conscious decision not to progress through your process.

Dropout could be because:

• They have accepted a job offer elsewhere
• The final hiring decision seemed a long way off
• Your organisation was unable to meet their expectations
• You haven’t effectively engaged with them

Candidates are rarely put off by video interview technology. We can state this with confidence because we have asked your candidates. You may be surprised to know that less than 1% state this as the reason.

For the small percentage of candidates that are put off, ask yourself whether you are truly losing a ‘good’ candidate. Are you instead, losing a candidate who isn’t willing to embrace a new experience? Bear in mind, technology is likely to feature in their daily life at your company.

It is always worth bearing in mind that a good candidate is one who ‘can do’ and ‘wants to do’.

But are video interviews only appropriate for certain roles, we hear you say. Well, if you derive value from interviewing people, then video interviews are 100% appropriate. What you are actually asking, is video the appropriate medium.

Unfortunately, candidates want and often expect an in-person interview straight off the bat. For this reason, it is always wise to explain why you conduct interviews through this medium. The rationale for doing so is going to vary across the different role profiles. For example, at entry level it might be speed. At mid/senior level it might be because your hiring managers are spread across the globe and, therefore, hard to pin down. Whatever it is, tell the candidates.

You can expect some level of dropout, regardless of the screening technique employed. The most effective tools - video interviews, aptitude tests and personality profiles - all perform comparably.

The reality is, when you invite an applicant to complete a video interview, aptitude test or personality profile then you are effectively prompting them to reevaluate the opportunity. They will do this to establish whether it’s worth their while. The more attractive the role and the company, the more willing they are to navigate your recruitment process.