How to Improve Your Interview Attendance Rate

If you've ever had to hire for your business, you'll know that a percentage of people simply don't show up for their interviews.

People who, despite you juggling a busy diary to allocate hours of your week to meet them and other applicants, don't attend.

No cancellation. No apology. No explanation.

Apart from the obvious frustration and loss of valuable time, you are scratching your head. Why would anyone do that?

At its worst, this phenomenon finds hiring managers arranging interviews that multiple people don't attend, for the same vacancy and the whole hiring process has to go back to the beginning.

And whilst we're in an age of looking at how AI can improve the hiring process, I'm here to say that there are parts of that process that need the human touch to ensure the best outcomes and we should not be outsourcing these to tech. Improving interview attendance rates is one of them.

Why do applicants fail to turn up for interview?

Why does anyone fail to show up for appointments booked? My theory is that there is no investment from the individual. Not attending poses no loss to them and they don't care to consider the consequences to others. It's no doubt the reason why GPs and dentists feel the need to publish their non-attendance numbers in the waiting room.

The most likely reasons for not attending their job interview are:

They found another job and didn't tell you.
Something came up and they forgot to let you know.
They had no intention of attending in the first place.
They changed their mind and couldn't face telling you.

There will always be jobseekers who are rude or poorly organised, but many will also avoid passing on what they fear is bad news after a change of mind or circumstances and will choose to avoid you.

However, none of these are reasons to entirely blame the jobseeker when you're frequently staring at an empty waiting area. You can control your outcomes, if you're prepared to accept that their attendance and commitment is a shared responsibility.

How to reduce the chance of interview no-shows

When people don't turn up for their interview I see all the frustration directed at the candidate. It's justified to be annoyed when you allocate time to someone to consider hiring them for a job and they do not make it. But reducing the chances of it happening lies with you.

You didn't move swiftly enough after receiving the application.
You picked someone unsuitable for the shortlist.
You didn't understand the motivating factors for that candidate's application.
You failed to get candidate buy-in.
You made too many assumptions.
Your communication was poor or inconsistent.

And this is where good process comes in

In all my years in recruitment, I never once sent someone for an interview who didn't:

Have a telephone, virtual or face-to-face interview with me.
Have me explore not only their experience and qualifications but also their motivations, their needs and wants.
Have a full understanding of the job they applied for and what it means to them.
Have an understanding of the company and the line manager.
Have the opportunity to ask questions and decide for themselves if it was a good match for them.
Have me decide if it was a good match and, if not, tell them why. Me preparing to be challenged to the contrary.
Understand the process and next steps.

And then when an interview has been arranged:

Confirmed in writing with interview guidelines and techniques.
Information about who they will meet and what to expect.
A full address and directions, if necessary, along with any issues they may encounter around car parking or public transport, for example.
A number they can call if they experience difficulties before or on the day.

Clare, I don't have the time for that, tell me how I can reduce drop-outs in less time

Send an email to applicants you're interested in, asking them to provide dates and times when they can have a chat for 20 minutes. You can spare 20 mins because it's going to save you a lot of additional time and frustration.
Many won't respond to that and they have deselected themselves. By all means, send the request a second time to chase but accept sometimes people don't want to pursue their application further and allocate your time to those who do.
Arrange your calls. They don't need to be long, but you'll have a chance to build rapport. It's important to ensure people are honest with you throughout the process. You decide how you fill that time but I'd suggest pleasantries, briefly covering essential experience and qualifications for the role, offering more details about the job and then offering (or not) a full interview.
Now the applicant knows they have been selected based on that call and they are not wasting their time. They had a chance to chat with a human being who thought they were good enough to meet. Maybe someone they liked and now have some loyalty and commitment to. If they can't make the interview or change their mind they are more likely to let you know.
After confirming the full interview verbally, send an email confirmation, attaching the job description and any helpful documentation or advice for the day. Include your direct number, making it easy for them to contact you if they encounter a problem. Tell them how long the interview will be and what they can expect on the day.

I believe that in an age where companies are trying to make recruitment 'easier', using tech to take care of some of the processes, we're ignoring the fact that recruitment is about people. We cannot eliminate them from the process and expect a good outcome.

If you enjoyed this blog, you might like: Why Are There So Few (Relevant) Job Applicants?

Clare Wight is the founder and Managing Director of Clarity Appointments, an independent recruitment specialist. She was a Regional Director for The Employment Agents Movement, supporting other independent recruiters.

She remains an active member of Recconnect (formerly Members Only), a recruitment leadership network promoting high ethical standards, collaboration, diversity, equity and inclusion.

She believes business owners are more fulfilled and higher-performing when they provide emotional and professional business support to other business owners, even those they deem to be competitors. She does this actively, whilst challenging and updating her skills and knowledge of the recruitment sector, enabling her to offer the best advice to firms looking to make their next hire.

If you enjoyed this blog, you might like: How to Attract More Over 50 Job Applicants.