How Communication Gaps Affect the Recruitment Process

The process of recruitment becomes seamless when there is no communication gap between the recruiter and candidates. In order to effectively engage in the recruitment of appropriate candidates, it is imperative to eliminate any communication gaps.  

When efficacious communication is ensured, the employers are able to swift through the bulk of candidates and track down the most appropriate one for the vacant post. Hence, when communication gaps are least or absolutely abandoned, the recruitment process is boosted, and simultaneously the candidates open up about their experiences, expectations and willingness to grow.  

The adverse effects of the communication gap are dual-natured. That is, the employers and employees both are under its influence. As far as the recruitment process is concerned, communication matters a lot to carry it smoothly until the candidate is onboard.   Below is a description of how the communication gap affects the recruitment process.  

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

1. Low Visibility For Candidates

Many times, candidates are left ill-informed halfway through the recruitment process. The reliance on the recruiting managers is very high as, from the very beginning, candidates rely on them for their application status.   However, such managers do not get back to the candidates for prolonged periods of time, whereas the candidates keep on waiting for a response or an update. This is how communication gaps are formed in recruitment processes.  

A solution here which can help candidates is an automated email or SMS notification by the recruiter so that the candidates can notice the application status.  

2. Repetitive Unwanted Tasks For Hiring Managers

It's not always solely the recruiters' issue; there is much more than that. As recruiters have a lot of workload, they are majorly engrossed in other organizational tasks. Recruiting teams must do a lot behind the scenes in the recruitment process. Thus, the recruiters can't reply to everyone, which causes immense communication gaps. The stated issue can be redeemed by purchasing software with automated communication tools that would allow the candidates to keep track of any progress, rejection, date of joining, etc.  

The current era is the most flexible, and communication is as easy as ever. Hence firms must make adequate use of technology and bridge any communication gaps.  According to 68% of HR professionals, the latest technological advancements in the recruitment process have improved overall recruitment performance.  

3. Unable To Capture The Right Talent

In addition to that, in case an important piece of information has not been communicated to the candidates, they tend to quit the recruitment process and begin searching for vacancies elsewhere. Therefore, it is a basic requirement to keep the candidates informed throughout the recruitment process. This causes the company to lose potential candidates who can add greater value to the company. If these issues of communication gap are left unattended, firms may lag behind in the highly competitive markets because of their inability to expand the employee base.  

4. Lack Of Fair Recruitment

The best candidate must be chosen for the position through objective, dependable, and non-discriminatory fair selection in recruitment. As Laura Jane, a Recruitment Specialist at Crowd Writer, shares her views in a few custom essays, "The selection process includes all the necessary elements such as shortlisting, selection tests like psychometric testing, assessment centers, and interviews."   A possible solution to this problem is the installation and use of talent acquisition software, which is a one-time investment. The benefits are numerous, which include hiring the most suitable and deserving candidate, reduced hiring time and limited burden on HR managers.  

5. Delays In The Recruitment Process

Firms find it excruciating and require prolonged periods of time to hire the right candidate. Sometimes there are unforeseen challenges that cause delays in the hiring process. To increase their capacity and effectiveness in selecting the most qualified applicants, businesses spend time and money on employer branding, talent acquisition, and managing the demands of setting up interview processes. However, a slow candidate response process runs the risk of undoing all of this work and expense.  

6. Lead To Frustration And Dissatisfaction Among Candidates

A poor candidate experience can have a long-term negative effect on your employer's brand and your company's reputation in the market. It may be more challenging to attract top talent in the future if word of mouth about a poor hiring experience spreads. A candidate who left all by himself in the middle of the recruiting process might do that. So, to mitigate the communication gap issues, it is crucial to update candidates about their application status.  

Conclusion - Creating An Efficient Recruiting Process

There are a lot of reasons which cause communication gaps in the recruitment process. One of them is a simple loss of focus or inability to properly concentrate on the candidates or their profiles, as well as presenting ambiguous instructions and failure to ask significant questions during the interview.   A subsequent reason for not prioritizing communication could be the lack of training among the employees. In order to improve communication among managers, leaders and recruiters, meetings should be organized at least twice a week to highlight the loopholes.   

Furthermore, firms and employers must delve into the usage of online software that helps in hiring the most worthy candidate efficiently. Thirdly, another prerequisite is to improve the quality of the process of recruitment, which would eventually subdue the communication gap. Very often, it is due to the lack of an in-depth strategy that leads to communication gaps being built.   A remedy for this is on-the-job training for managers who are involved in the recruitment process, along with drafting strategies that keep the candidates in the loop. 

The impact of the communication gap on the recruitment process is multifold. In order to counter these adverse effects, suitable but small-scale reforms must be introduced in organizations, especially in the human resource department.  

Author Bio

Claudia Jeffrey is currently working as a Senior Editor at Crowd Writer, where she offers students with cheap essay writing service UK. She loves to travel and often moves around solo. Claudia often blogs at WordCountJet to share her experience with the readers.