How to prevent No Shows for Work or Interviews

Author: Halley Harrelson Published: September 2022

Candidates not showing up for their interview is frustrating and wastes the hiring managers' time, and uses up valuable interview spots. Therefore, no-shows tend to happen a lot in volume hiring.

Here are some of the reasons no-shows happen:

• They lost interest in the role. Maybe your application process did not sell the company to them firmly. As a result, nothing stood out to the candidate.

• They got too anxious. Unfortunately, sometimes we get too much anxiety regarding job interviews.

• The application was not ideal for them. For example, they could have found the application too long or complicated. This can contribute to the candidate's negative impression of you as an employer.

• They got the interview date and time wrong. It's easy to get things mixed up when applying for multiple jobs.

• They don't believe they are a good match for the role. Also, they might feel intimidated because of your application process.

Here is how to reduce no-shows:

• Create better expectations for candidates. Give the candidates a clear job description.

• Select suitable candidates for interview. Candidates who don't fit the job typically don't show up for the interview.

• Sell the job. If you don't sell the job, applicants may feel like the interview wastes time.

• Ask for feedback from no-shows.

• Let the candidates know what to expect. Sometimes anxiety gets the best of job seekers. Let them know what the interview process looks like so they know exactly what to expect.

There are many reasons why potential employees decide not to show up for the interview. However, there are many things you can do to help prevent this.