For the first time in a long time, job candidates have more options than hiring managers:According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 6.6 million job openings, and only6.1 million unemployed people to fill them. This gives candidates the power to be moreselective, rather than accept the first job offer that comes around.

With candidates in the driver’s seat comes a strange role reversal for HR. Suddenly,companies are the ones carefully trying to woo candidates, and job seekers are the onesnot returning calls after promising interviews.

Because of this, companies are a little more cautious when a qualified candidate pops up,since the odds are slim they’ll stick it out through the whole process. Even someoneaccepting a job offer and showing up on the first day doesn’t guarantee they’ll stay.

While the current job market shows no signs of changing anytime soon, there are ways HRcan fight back when it comes to candidates disappearing:

Focus on the work. Instead of trying to lure in top talent with your company culture and benefitspackages, focus on whether the candidate will enjoy the actual job. The more interested andcomfortable they are with the work, the more likely they are to stick around.

Give candidates a deadline to withdraw from consideration. You’re less likely to be blindsided ifyou let applicants know there’s an alternative to disappearing, and they can leave the processwith no hard feelings.

Don’t give people the benefit of the doubt. Many managers refuse to believe they’re beingghosted and instead think a family emergency must’ve come up. This line of thinking ends upwasting valuable time you could use to find a new candidate.

Discuss ghosting beforehand. Gently remind candidates that disappearing isn’t professional andcould damage their reputation. If you have any personal examples to back this up, share those.

Find out how many other employers are in the mix. If possible, try and get a sense of how manyother companies the candidate is interviewing with currently. This will help you gauge the odds ofthem continuing your interview process.

Put a time limit on your offer. When you make a job offer to your candidate and they needtime to think about it, ask specifically how much time. Set a deadline for them to get backto you, and let them know the offer could be rescinded