This is a recruiter’s worst nightmare. You’ve done the work to find a great candidate who you know is a fit for the role, they’ve interviewed and “clicked” with the hiring team, but now you have to keep them warm and interested despite delays in the process.
Establish good relationships with your candidates early on in the process. Candidates are more likely to wait for answers if they have some sort of good interpersonal connection to the recruiter or hiring manager.
Include the hiring manager in the process to keep the candidate warm. Tag-team with the hiring manager so the candidates hear directly from them that decisions haven’t yet been made and they are still “in the running.” The reality is that as HR, your voice and opinion only goes so far. Candidates want to hear from their potential boss that there’s still a possibility for a match.
Remain transparent throughout the process. It’s a very bad candidate experience when they are just left “hanging” after multiple rounds of interviews. Make sure you stay in communication, tell them why they’re in a holding pattern, and admit that not everything works as perfectly as we would like. Showing a bit of humanity goes a long way!