Struggling with High No-Show Rates for IT Interviews: How Can We Improve Attendance?

Hi All,

We are facing a unique problem of candidates not showing up for interviews. We are consultants mainly focused on IT placements, and we often organize weekend events for generic skills like SAP, Mainframe, and Java.

Despite calling candidates three times to confirm the interviews and timings, the no-show ratio remains at least 60%, causing all our efforts to go to waste. Could anyone please help me with specific steps or actions that could be taken to reduce this no-show ratio among candidates so that we can achieve more closures?

I am eagerly awaiting your assistance.

Thanks,
Akash

Hi Akash,

The problem that you are facing is not very new in the HR field.

One reason can be that when you line up the interviews, the candidate is not informed properly (in detail) about the job opening and the company details, job responsibility, expectations, etc.

The job openings that you have mentioned are all for technical positions, and these candidates are fully aware that they are in demand currently, and the HR team will follow up if they do not show up for the interviews.

Hence, one suggestion: do not follow up more than once a day before the interview. Try to be more assertive while talking to them and avoid conveying that the world will fall apart if they do not attend the interview. (This is how I handle interview scheduling.)

I will give you one example: we use Monster.com for our job openings, candidates apply, and when we call them for interviews, they ask again for the job description. I simply ask them if they have applied for the job without reading the job description.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Sonit Singh

Hi Akash,

I also agree with your point about candidates not turning up for interviews. The best way is just a matter of how we communicate with the candidates. We should establish rapport with the candidates from the very first interaction.

Technical professionals receive numerous interview calls from various consultants and companies. To stand out from the rest, we should differentiate ourselves. We can communicate in a manner that positions the conversation as a general discussion, followed by technical screening, which will not consume much of their time. We can also explain the interview levels we have.

Lastly, as Sonit mentioned, it is important to confirm the interview timings with the candidate.

Regards,
Bhagya.

Hi Akash,

I also agree with your point that candidates are not turning up for interviews. The best way is just a matter of how we communicate with the candidates. We should establish rapport with the candidates when we talk to them for the first time.

Technical professionals receive numerous interview calls from various consultants and companies. We need to differentiate ourselves from these multiple calls. We can communicate in a manner that makes it seem like a general discussion, followed by technical screening, which will not consume much of their time. We can also explain the different interview levels we have.

Lastly, as Sonit mentioned, confirming the interview timings with the candidate is crucial. Over-communication is better than no communication at all.

Even though my opinion may differ from others' perceptions, I welcome suggestions from others.

Regards,
Bhagya.

Dear ones,

What I felt would be a solution is to ask them to respond in case of inconvenience and inform them that candidates failing to do so will not be considered for the next, say, few months. (I don't know if it's harsh...)

Best regards,
Mithra