There’s a new menace in hiring and recruitment… ghosting. In a survey, 5.8% of employers said “being ghosted by candidates” was their top challenge. In a market where it is already hard to attract top talent, it’s frustrating when you get ghosted by your top candidate. Here are the top 4 steps to prevent you from falling victim to the Ghost:

– Hold fewer interviews
It’s important to have multiple interviews with a candidate just to make sure they are the right fit and not just a good first impression. However, there is a fine line of having the right amount or interviews and having too many. If a candidate feels like they are just going in circles with interview after interview and no real progress, they will be more likely to ghost you.

– Set proper expectations. Hint: under-promise and over-deliver
When candidates know what to expect and you follow through on your promises, ghosting rates will drop significantly.

– Track past candidate dropout rate
Information is power. Keep track of the time frame of when past candidates have started to disappear. Once you have an idea, make sure you work to get the hiring process done before that dropout date.

– Reduce time between interviews
Along with holding fewer interviews, schedule the various interviews closer to each other so there isn’t as much wait time. Too much downtime between interviews could allow doubt and other job opportunities to affect the candidate.

– Be real
Be funny, build rapport, and be likeable. When someone likes you, they respond.

– Use their preferred method of communication
During the initial part of the interview process, have the candidate provide their preferred method of communication. If a candidate prefers text messages, text them often and keep them in the loop.

– Personalize the message
Top candidates know they are valuable and want to feel valued by any potential employer. Just by personalizing your messages to them and talking them through specific things they mention in the interview, you show them that they are valued.

– Let them know they are important
If they call you, call them back. Don’t play hard to get by not responding. But do play hard to get by letting them know you are going through your process and that it is coming down to a couple of top choice candidates. This lets them know that you are interesting to other top candidates and keeps their desire high, which will also help you come closing time.

– Pick trusted sources
Job boards tend to attract a lot of riffraff that leads to ghosting. If you choose to use a search firm, make sure that firm has a stellar reputation with longstanding relationships with key players in the market.