Candidates are more inclined to apply for jobs when you interact with them effectively and give them adequate information about the company and precise job description. Also when you answer their questions on company’s growth prospects, work environment, and interview process. You can take the following proactive measures to increase the interview turn-up ratio;

• Allowing sufficient leeway in scheduling the interview, especially when a candidate is currently employed. The more flexible you are, the higher the probability is that candidate will show up on time.
• A competitive compensation plan in line with industry norms.
• Avoid preparing very lengthy job description that creates unnecessary confusion to a job seeker and a recruiter as well.
• Underlining the most relevant skills required to perform a job, instead of mentioning too many general skills that all candidates are having in common.
• Clearly defined interview process with approximate time required.
• Giving candidates the flexibility to schedule the virtual interview instead of insisting them to go for face to face interview only.
• Give n take proper acknowledgement on email and act as a point of contact to answer their queries.

Remember, it’s about quality over quantity. A few strong candidates are more valuable than sifting through hundreds of unqualified applicants. Opting for a few strong candidates is a more effective use of time compared to screening hundreds of low-quality applicants. Here are some key strategies;

• Write specific job description with key set of skills to send emails to prospective candidates.
• Use an applicant tracking system to filter profiles quickly.
• Build employer’s brand value and pursue passive candidates.
• Post short and point-to-point jobs on job portals while highlighting the key skills-set required to attract the most suitable candidates.
• Mention the clear and narrow experience and salary range while advertising jobs.
• Work on a narrow and specific job search on portals, irrespective of the low number of profiles shown-up in results.
• Use social media hiring through LinkedIn, Facebook, and other platforms.
• The practice of taking references from candidates is also a proven way of getting quality leads.

• Clearly define the job requirements; key skills, qualifications, responsibilities, hierarchy, required experience, and salary budget for the role.
• Source passive candidates instead of only sourcing active candidates, especially for mid and senior level mandates.
• Know the motivation and preferences of your ideal candidate.
• Source profiles with proven results and high stability.
• Check references and background.
• Use platforms like LinkedIn, IIMjobs etc.
• Assess cultural, behavioural fit, work ethics, and attitude.
• Take references of subordinates to evaluate their leadership and team management skills.

Although, there is no control over it but to overcome such a situation, we advise our clients to consider the following steps:

• Maintain a good employer’s branding through Google reviews, online rating, Glass-door reviews, decent website, and online presence with clear n crisp information about the company and it’s products/services.
• Give clarity on the job role, career prospects, work culture, job timings, sanctioned leaves, and operational processes to the candidates.
• Have a smooth interview process and give clear n timely feedback to the candidates.
• Push the candidates to bring down their notice period to minimum or buy the notice period (if optional) to make them join as soon as possible to reduce the probability of their trial for interviews in other companies.
• Make an offer matching with the industry standard or close to their expectations is what motivates a candidate to join a company. After hard salary negotiation, candidates accept the offer but they keep on looking for better options.

Active candidate sourcing means reaching out to people who are actively looking for jobs. These are folks who are actively applying to job ads, using job websites, and letting people know they’re available for work. An active candidate is someone actively searching for a job, whether they currently have a job or not.