Because we talk with many of our clients on a regular basis, we learn about the common frustrations you have in hiring. One that we hear often is experiencing slow or no communication from applicants. It goes like this: a promising candidate applies for the role, you email inviting them for an interview, and … crickets… In frustration, we write them off assuming they are not really interested, and quite frankly, putting a black mark next to their name cos they have just wasted your time. My time is valuable and if they can’t respect that, they don’t belong in our business.
Maybe they were a time waster, or maybe it’s about something else. Let’s look at the role the changing landscape of communication is playing.
The Changing Landscape of Communication
The ways we connect have diversified: phone calls, emails, texts, direct messages, and more. Add to this the impact of spam filters, mass marketing, and a general overload of information, and it becomes easy for messages to get lost. Many people no longer listen to voicemails; some even request texts instead and may not regularly check or clear their voicemail inboxes or read their personal emails. This means that when you reach out to a promising applicant, a lack of response isn’t necessarily a reflection of disinterest—it could simply be that they never saw the message.
Don’t Take It Personally: The new norms of engagement
When we don’t receive a response, it can be easy to assume the applicant is not interested. In fact, I’ve seen many instances where clients decide to decline applicants solely based on a lack of response. However, in most of these cases, when we dig deeper, we find a whole bunch of reasons they haven’t gotten back to us. Once we make the effort to re-engage, 90% of these applicants are still interested in the position.
The key takeaway here is that what might have been considered rude or disrespectful behaviour 20 years ago—like not returning a call—no longer holds the same meaning. Given how overwhelmed people are with various communication channels, it’s impossible to assume that someone has seen or registered a message. Therefore, it's essential to value the effort and investment made to attract applicants and avoid making hasty decisions before confirming their interest.
TwoTicks role in ensuring engagement
We are here to bridge that gap. We make the effort to chase down applicants, contact them through multiple means, and ensure they have every opportunity to engage. Of course, there are instances where, after exhausting all options, we might conclude that an applicant is simply uncontactable. But in the vast majority of cases, what appears to be a lack of response is resolved, and the applicant is re-engaged.
