Dear Chaitanya
I agree with you that the habit with some candidates of beating a retreat in the last moment fritters away the effort,time and money invested by the company in recruiting him.The reasons may be many and the only way to get over the problem is to address the causes.
1) The blame for this situation cannot sometimes be entirely foisted on the candidates.It is also contributed by the employer.For example, some companies do not believe in interviewing etiquette and manners. After the interview is over, they remain uncommunicative with the candidates for a long time, compelling him to step on gas,making him anxious about his selection and driving him to look for other options.If the company, after the interview is over, thanks him for attending the interview and informs him the probable time by which they can communicate the final result about his selection, it calms down his nerves and he will be willing to wait.
2)The HR shall be careful in communicating and behaving with the candidates. If their conduct and communication reflects a casual, indifferent and unpleasant behavior, it sends a wrong signal about the culture of the organisation in the minds of the candidates and they may, in a moment of hesitation, back out in the last moment.
3)As one learned member said, a company some times may not be transparent about terms of employment like salary, probation, confirmation and transfer or prospects of growth,creating confusion in the minds of the candidates,rendering them indecisive.
4)This apart, there will be fence sitters who show the offer letters from the companies and bargain for better terms with the existing employers.Such candidates may not join if they get favorable deal in their existing companies.In another scenario, there may be candidates who target more than one company and then decide on one.The HR or the recruiters concerned shall be
able to distinguish between a candidate who is seriously looking for a job from the one who is smartly looking for a job and call only the serious ones for the interview.This is only an art and needs to be cultivated.
5) If possible, the HR can also maintain a data base containing the names of the candidates who previously indulged in "NO Shows" so that whenever they undertake an interview process, they can verify the names with their data base and avoid calling those whose names figure in the data base.
6) The HR can also add a sentence in the offer letter stating that the candidates shall communicate by a certain date, if they are not willing to join the company and that the company respects their decision
Hope this helps.
B.Saikumar