Set candidate communication SLAs by listing every hiring stage, assigning each a maximum response time and a named owner, and adding a no-silence rule that fires a status message before the window closes. Write them down, load them into your ATS as timers, and review breaches monthly. This guide walks the full build, anchored to Stop Ghosting Candidates: the HR communication playbook.

Before You Start

Gather three things: your real hiring funnel stages, the names of who owns each handoff today, and access to your ATS automation or a workflow tool like Make.com. You will also want the candidate experience metrics you plan to track so the SLAs map to measurement from day one.

Step 1: List every stage in the real funnel

Write out the actual path a candidate travels: application received, screening, assessment, first interview, panel, decision, offer, background check, onboarding. Include the gaps where candidates wait, not just the formal steps. This stage list becomes the backbone of every SLA.

Step 2: Assign a maximum response time to each stage

For each transition, set the longest a candidate waits before they hear something. Application acknowledgment is immediate and automated. Screening decisions land within five business days. Post-interview status arrives within forty-eight hours. A final decision comes within a fixed window after the last interview. Make the numbers concrete, not aspirational.

Step 3: Name an owner for each stage

Every stage needs one accountable name. The recruiter owns acknowledgment, status updates, and rejections. The hiring manager owns the decision and feedback. When ownership is explicit, the handoff stops being where candidates fall silent.

Step 4: Add the no-silence rule

The core rule: a candidate never sits past the SLA window with zero communication, even when the only honest message is “you are still under consideration, next update by Friday.” A holding message is infinitely better than silence.

Step 5: Load the SLAs into your ATS as timers and triggers

Translate each SLA into an automated timer. When a candidate approaches the window, the system nudges the owner and sends the candidate a status update. Build the rejection side with automated rejection emails through your ATS so dispositions close the loop instantly.

Step 6: Add an escalation path for breaches

When a stage exceeds its window, an alert escalates to a manager. Pair this with a no-silence escalation path so breaches surface and get resolved instead of festering.

How to Know It Worked

Your SLA breach rate falls toward zero, ghosting incidents drop, and candidate NPS rises. Median response time per stage stays inside the windows you set. When leadership reviews these numbers monthly and they hold, the SLAs are working.

Common Mistakes

• Setting aspirational windows nobody enforces — write numbers the ATS will actually hold you to.
• Assigning a stage to “the team” instead of one name — shared ownership becomes no ownership.
• Forgetting the post-offer stage, where background-check limbo strands candidates.
• Building SLAs with no timer or trigger, so compliance depends on memory.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a candidate communication SLA?

A candidate communication SLA is a written commitment defining the maximum time a candidate waits for a response at each hiring stage, who owns that response, and the rule that no candidate sits in silence past the window. It turns vague intentions into enforceable standards.

What are reasonable SLA targets?

Immediate automated acknowledgment, a screening decision within five business days, post-interview status within forty-eight hours, and a final decision within a fixed window after the last interview. The exact numbers matter less than writing them down and enforcing them.

Who enforces candidate communication SLAs?

The ATS enforces them through timers and triggers, while recruiters and hiring managers own the specific stages. Enforcement lives in the system so compliance does not depend on anyone remembering.