Changing behavioural trends are making it increasingly difficult to communicate with and recruit candidates during the job placement process.

The propensity of candidates (mostly but not always younger candidates) to communicate via sms, instagram, whatsapp or similar messaging apps, instead of answering a call and / or making or returning a phone call, makes it difficult to arrange meetings, interviews, obtain information and assess a candidate’s suitability for a role, even after interviewing them face to face.

While this is a modern trend that enables quick and efficient communication for simple issues, this same trend complicates the recruitment process that needs to be gone through to match candidates with their Clients. After an initial interview, further communication is always required to clarify background information, obtain referee information, further explore answers to questions, arrange interviews and help with interview preparation. None of this is easy when done via SMS or even email.

The message: to help us help you, answer the phone if you get a call, or at least return a call within a reasonable period of time! It shows enthusiasm for a role and is good old fashioned common courtesy.

Another trend is aversion behaviour from candidates that decide not to proceed with an opportunity. The excuse book for not proceeding and avoiding an explanatory discussion is breathtaking in its range – from life threatening illnesses, dying relatives, to car accidents on the way to interviews, and even dog bites, to the standard excuses of traffic jams, flu and car trouble. While we have seen many of these as being totally valid, an increasing number are just an elaborate excuse to not attending an interview and then avoid proceeding.

It’s hard to understand why, if you accept an interview opportunity, to not just attend or if you change your mind, just tell the truth and say you don’t want to proceed for whatever the real reason. There is no need for excuses!

The message: Again, to help us to help you, honesty is the best policy. Just because you decide to withdraw from one opportunity doesn’t mean another opportunity might not be a better fit for you. But if you need an excuse to avoid having a simple conversation, you’re probably excluding yourself from any future opportunity with that recruiter because of the aversion behaviour.

Food for thought.