Why Your Candidates Are Dropping Out

There’s nothing worse for hiring managers and recruiters than getting midway through the hiring process only to have one or more qualified candidates withdraw their application. But from the other side of the desk, there’s nothing worse for candidates than an unresponsive potential employer.

According to the 2024 Monster Work Watch Report, the top reason why candidates had withdrawn their applications was poor communication, which was cited by 47 percent of survey respondents.

“Poor communication is definitely one huge candidate turn-off,” said Ken Meyer, SHRM-SCP, director of human resources at Ryan Health, a health center in Manhattan. “This includes the timeliness of the communication. I don't like it when hiring managers say to recruiters, ‘Keep the candidate warm’ [i.e., prolong the hiring process by staying in touch but not making an offer or refusal]. We're dealing with real people and can't treat people like we’re heating up a burrito. While we do not want to hurry employment decisions, we want to act quickly.”

But given the volume of applications received for some job openings, it is surprising some candidates ever hear back from a recruiter in a timely manner.

“I know it is a struggle, especially these days when you receive hundreds of applications and 90 percent of those folks think they are the best person for the job,” said Angela L. Shaw, SHRM-SCP, senior vice president of talent at Amplify Credit Union in Austin, Texas. “But consider it is you on the other side of that process, and how would you want to be treated? Be transparent and honest about the timelines and the process.”

It’s also important to tell candidates the good, the bad and the ugly about the job.

“I'm a big believer in the realistic job preview. Early on in the interview process, tell the candidate about the job, ‘warts and all,’ and do not be afraid to over-emphasize the warts,” Meyer said. “A candidate is considering making a life-changing decision. Be honest about the job they are considering. This will help prevent candidates from dropping out late in the process.”

Unreasonable Processes

In the same report, 36 percent of respondents said they had dropped out of the interview process because they had been asked to jump through hoops. As an applicant, Shaw has left more than one job application process because it was too long, there were multiple rounds of interviews, or she needed to justify her work history.

“I've been labeled a job hopper. However, no one wants to know that you left because of racism or sexism or that your boss didn't want you to be successful,” she said. “In most cases, they [potential new employers] are not trying to fix their environments; they want you to change yourself to be a ‘cultural fit’ to their madness.”

On the survey, 35 percent of respondents said they had quit a job application because they were asked to write a long presentation or business case. But Shaw and Meyer agree that preparing a business case or presentation is increasingly common, especially for senior-level positions.

Overly Long Processes, Stiff Interviewers

Ginny Rey, vice president of people development at TCG Player, an online collectibles marketplace based in Syracuse, N.Y., thinks one of the biggest reasons why candidates withdraw from the process is missing from the Monster report—that many companies make the process far too long. Often, there are many different interviews that can take weeks to complete.

“Making the process cumbersome gives another company that has streamlined its process the ability to ‘cherry-pick’ the best folks,” Rey said. “It also tells the candidate that the company values consensus, which can be good, but it can also mean the company has issues making decisions and taking action.”

She also recommended that hiring managers stop being stiff and unreadable during an interview. About half of the survey respondents (46 percent) said an interviewer’s attitude or behavior has led them to quit the process.

“If you like the candidate, show them," she said. "Never forget that they are deciding if they want to work with you or for you.”

Remember What It’s Like

At some point, every recruiter and hiring manager was sitting in the applicant’s seat. Rey has never forgotten the best experience she had as a job candidate. The recruiter who hired her for the company treated her like a customer or client. After every interview, the recruiter checked in and asked what she thought about the experience. Impressed, she took the job.

“Take the time to treat the candidate like they could be a colleague or friend in the future because if all goes well, they will be,” she said.

Also consider that people are interviewing the organization as much as you are interviewing them, and it’s possible that for reasons unrelated to how you treat them, they will self-select out of the process.

“Honestly, just be OK with folks dropping out of the process,” Shaw said. “Maybe it is just not the right time. However, if you have a supportive and equitable process, you will also have repeat people applying for your positions."