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Most common reasons for drop-outs — Why candidates leave the process
Every rejection tells a story — and together they reveal a clear pattern. These insights reveal the reasons that most frequently lead to dropouts and where better communication, faster decision-making, or adjusted offers can help counteract them. This way, you turn data into concrete actions for greater recruiting success.
What does the analysis of the reasons why candidates leave the funnel mean?
This analysis examines why applicants leave the recruiting funnel — e.g. cancellations, withdrawals, inappropriate profiles, or aborted interviews.
It provides valuable insights to identify weaknesses in the recruiting process and improve the candidate experience.
Why that's important:
- Optimize recruiting processes: Causes of departures show where processes can be improved or accelerated.
- Increase candidate experience: A better understanding of the reasons for leaving helps to positively retain applicants in the long term.
- Make data-based decisions: HR can develop targeted measures to reduce abortions and increase the efficiency of the recruiting pipeline.
Here are the Main reasons for the departure of candidates From the Recruiting Funnel (since January 2024) :*
Top 5 reasons for disqualification
- Mismatch in salary expectations — 594 applications
- The most common reason: Salary expectations don't match
- Position filled — 435 applications
- Position has already been filled
- Not a skills fit — 389 applications
- Skills/skills don't fit the role
- Candidate unresponsive — 294 applications
- Candidates are no longer responding
- Not a company fit — 270 applications
- No cultural fit with the company*
Other relevant reasons
- Not a role fit — 264 applications
- Wrong location — 241 applications
- Higher salary offer from other company — 227 applications
- Lack of language skills — 224 applications
- Personal reasons — 223 applications
- Lacking motivation for the role — 191 applications
- Not a team fit — 179 applications
- Unavailable at target hire date — 179 applications
Process-related issues
- Hiring process too long — 74 applications (warning sign!)
- Visa denied — 60 applications
Key Insights
⚠️ Salary Is the Biggest Stumbling Block: Almost 600 applications fail due to different salary expectations. An earlier clarification in the process could help here.
⚠️ Qualification mismatch: A total of over 1,000 applications fail due to a lack of fit (Skills, Role, Company, Team Fit) — possibly an indication of unclear job advertisements or targeting problems.
⚠️ Competition: 227 candidatesChoose better offers — an indication of potential competitive disadvantages.
