The Complete Guide to Caregiver Candidate Ghosting and How To Avoid It

Caregiver Candidate Ghosting is a term used to describe the act of a caregiver not showing up for an interview. This is not only an issue for the employer, but it also leaves the potential caregiver with little information about their potential employer.

What is Caregiver Candidate Ghosting?

The term was coined by Caregiver list in 2016. They found that 40% of caregivers who had responded to an interview request from them did not show up for the interview and they were unable to contact them afterwards. Ghosting is defined as the act of “Ending an online relationship by abruptly ceasing all contact.”

The job seeker “ghoster” is a person who is unresponsive to your messages, does not answer your inquiries or calls, and leaves you in the dark.

What are the Signs of Caregiver Candidate Ghosting?

The signs of caregiver candidate ghosting are when you don't hear back from them after they've been contacted by you. It's also when they don't answer your phone call or email.

 For example, some typical ways that a caregiver candidate is ghosting you are:

• The candidate fails to show up for the interview

• The candidate is unresponsive to emails, phone calls, and text messages

• The candidate has not submitted any information to your company’s application form

 In the first example, they will not respond to any messages or calls. This could be because they are no longer interested in the position, or they have found a better opportunity.

 The second example is that they will not answer any questions about their current status and future plans. This could be because they are no longer interested in the position or have found a better opportunity, but it could also be because their phone was lost or stolen, and they can't get back to you with an answer. So, it is important to give more than 1 chance to the caregiver just in case something happened that prevented them from communicating with you.

 The third example, is that when you call them, their voicemail will say "The person at this number has not set up voicemail."

This could mean that either their phone was lost or stolen, and they can't get back to you with an answer, but it also means that maybe the person is just really busy and can't take your call right now (or maybe doesn't want to take your call right now).

How to Keep Track of Who is Ghosted & Why They Disappeared?

Keeping track of who is ghosting and why they are disappearing is an important task for any employer. Ghosting can be a result of the employer not having a good enough understanding of what the candidate wants, on the other hand,  it can be because the candidate found a better opportunity elsewhere.

Some people find it difficult to keep up with how many resumes they receive and how many candidates they interview. This leads them to lose track of who has been ghosted and why they disappeared.

There are different tools that recruiters can use to keep track of these things, but there is no one tool that will work for everyone.

 There are many reasons why people ghost, we’ve listed a few scenarios above but here is a more comprehensive list of alternative explanations.

• The person has moved on and is no longer interested in the job.

• The person is not qualified for the position, or they don't have the skills to do it.

• The person is not sure if they are a good fit for the company and needs more information before making a decision.

• The person has been offered another job but hasn't accepted it yet.

• There may be an issue with their visa status or other personal factors that may affect their ability to work in your country.

Whatever the reason, there are ways to keep track of who you've reached out to and who's ghosted you back.

One way is by using an applicant tracking system like Resumator or Lever. These systems help you keep track of all your applicants, including those who have dropped out or went silent.

A second option is by creating a word or excel document that you update with job candidate information such as their contact information, when you send messages and whether they responded or not.

Once you see that the time between your messages and receiving a response increase, and eventually they stop responding, you can then mark the candidate as unresponsive and remove them from your consideration.

This last option will provide you the most flexibility since you can customize an excel or word document to fit your specific candidates.

How to Stop Unqualified Candidates from Applying in the First Place?

The best way to stop unqualified candidates from applying in the first place is to have a clear and concise job description. Your job description should explain in detail the qualifications and skills that are required for the position. This will help to dissuade candidates who do not meet the requirements from applying.

In addition, consider using an online job application that requires candidates to submit their resume and qualifications upfront. This will give you a better sense of a candidate’s qualifications before they even apply.

Finally, make sure to use keywords in your job posting that relate to the qualifications you are looking for. This will help to ensure that only candidates who meet your criteria will see your job posting. By using these strategies, you can help to ensure that only qualified candidates apply for your open positions.

In conclusion, this guide provides a comprehensive overview of caregiver candidate ghosting and how to avoid it. The key takeaways are to carefully screen candidates, build relationships, and be understanding of caregivers' needs, but also make sure that you are communicating clearly and effectively throughout the hiring process.

Feel free to share this post with an AFH provider that may need actionable steps so that it doesn't happen again.

Image Credit: Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash