How do you handle candidate interview cancellations?

That is the time when your people skills are being tested. Need to build up a strong relationship with the candidates and provide them with an environment where they speak up openly, allowing them to reschedule their interviews at least twice, which will make an impact.

Having the communication and building a relationship with the candidate helps this massively. Being Neuro friendly, asking resonable adjustments from the start, so you can be flexible with the candidate. If the candidate does cancel, that is fine, people are human, so it's everything we can do to try and support, talk to them to open up. We have to show empathy and not make assumptions and be annoyed. Communication is key.

Candidates have the right to cancel or reschedule their interviews. Remember they could be going through something that could be legitimate and are unable to attend an interview. A recruiter is a people’s person and is always accommodating. Remember, a recruiter is the first point of contact for a company and is the one who makes or breaks the entire perspective and brand image of an employer. Be nice to candidates and good will come back to you.

This approach not only reflects positively on your company's reputation but also fosters goodwill, which can be beneficial for long-term relationships with potential candidates and their referrals.

Recruiting is constant feedback and communication with your candidates. In my experience, I always try to remind candidates of their interviews to cut down on the chances of rescheduling. But yes, I have always rescheduled interviews of candidates having legit reasons, even if it was a last-minute cancellation request from a candidate.

As a practice I have been always giving a simple call to my candidates the day prior to the interview to make sure they are ready and also to check if they have any questions concerns that has to be addressed before the meeting.

If you're not tracking cancelled interviews then you will skew your metrics and fail to gain any understanding of the reasons why this is happening. Without this information you can't implement any improvements or preventative measures. Key things to track are: - Who cancelled the interview? The candidate? The hiring manager? - The reason for cancellation. Is is something which was within your control? Ask for as much information as possible. Was the interview at too short notice? Was it the wrong time of day? Was there too little info provided beforehand? Are candidates being taken to interview who aren't actually interested? Are your interviews taking too long to arrange so that candidates get job offers elsewhere?

An offer to rearrange an interview is always a good idea. However I would not chase a candidate who cancelled an interview, or have repeated follow-ups. This risks putting people off, or even if they rearrange another interview then they may just let you down again if they've felt pressured into it.