DSP Recruitment Made Easy. Stop the Interview Ghosting.

Jul 3

Have you ever gotten this text from your kid’s soccer coach?

“Don’t forget—it’s your turn to bring snacks for soccer practice tonight.”

Two thoughts immediately hit you:

“Why do I never remember this until the day of?”
“I don’t actually mind… when I’m reminded.”

That, my friends, is what recruiting feels like for a lot of the people you’re hoping to hire:
They’re not uninterested.
They’re just overwhelmed, juggling a lot, and forgetting things they meant to do.
Until it’s too late.
And someone else already brought orange slices.

The Real Reason DSP Candidates Ghost

You get 50 applications.
You schedule 15 interviews.
Only 3 people show up.

Cue the chorus:

“No one wants to work anymore.”
“Back in my day…”
“These dang kids and their TikToks!”

Look—I’m not saying work ethic isn’t important.
But in most cases?
It’s not a lack of work ethic that’s killing your hiring pipeline.
It’s a lack of reinforcement and clarity at every step.

Think about it this way:

Applying is a behavior.
Showing up to an interview is a behavior.
Accepting a job, getting their clearances, and starting on Day 1? All behaviors.

And in behavioral science, if you want a behavior to keep happening, you have to:

Make it easy.
Make it reinforced.
Make it feel good (or at least not awful).

You Don’t Need Fancier Software—You Need a Funnel That Works

If you've ever used Amazon, you’ve experienced a beautiful funnel:

Product description makes you feel smart for choosing it
Two taps and it’s ordered
You get a confirmation email, then a tracking number
Then the box shows up like magic, and you high-five yourself

Now contrast that with the average DSP hiring process:

Job post is vague and written like a 90s HR textbook
Application system crashes your phone
No one responds for ten days
The interview feels like a secret test
You wait for three weeks to hear back about your background check
No one tells you what happens next

Even your best candidates are probably thinking:

“I don’t know if this job is worth it… and honestly, I don’t know if I’m wanted.”

You don’t need to lower your standards.
You need to raise your reinforcements.

The Golden Rule: Reinforce Every Step

Let’s say your interview show-up rate is 30%.
You decide to make two changes:

Send a friendly reminder text from a real person (not your ATS)
Offer a $10 gas card or coffee voucher just for showing up

Now your show-up rate jumps to 58%.
That’s not magic.
That’s behavior science.

And if you double your interviews, you’ll end up with a lot more people making it to DAY 1.

It’s the same principle that makes you:

Stick with a workout plan because your watch gives you a star
Keep feeding the meter because it texts you when time’s almost up
Bring snacks to soccer practice because someone reminded you

And when you pair reinforcement with simple tracking, you can start making smart, small decisions that move the needle.

Track Your Funnel Like a Behaviorist

Here’s what most people track:

“We hired 6 people this month.”
“We had 42 applicants.”

Here’s what you should be tracking:

(These numbers are made up—but you get the point.) And if you want to get a blank copy of this worksheet that you can use, click here.

When you look at it this way, you can see where the funnel is leaking.
Then you can experiment.

Want More People to Show Up for Interviews?

Try one or more of these:

Send a reminder text with the interviewer’s name, time, and what to expect
Add a short video from a current DSP: “Hey! Just wanted to say I’m excited to meet you!”
Offer a small perk: “Thanks for coming—here’s a gas card for your time”
Follow up even if they ghost once. People are forgetful, not evil.

Then check:

“Did our show-up rate increase this week?”

If yes, great—keep it.
If not, tweak and try again.

The goal isn’t to guess what works.
It’s to test and track until you know.

And again, if you want to use a blank worksheet to track it, you can get your copy here ➡️ HIRING FUNNEL WORKSHEET👍

Bonus Tip: Keep It Human

I just told a story on the podcast (Episode 39) about two different chiropractors—one made it effortless to say yes (welcoming staff, simple reminders, and little bonuses), and the other made it feel like you’d accidentally entered a dystopian dental office from 1993.

You can hear the whole story in the podcast episode here.

The point is: same service, wildly different experience.

Your hiring process can be the first way someone feels like your agency gets them… or the last straw that makes them click away.

Final Thought: Hiring Is Only Half the Battle

If you want to reduce turnover for good, filling open positions is only Step 1.

Step 2 is making sure people stay.

That’s where our Turnover Fix Playbook comes in.

It walks supervisors through four simple, research-backed habits that keep DSPs engaged, appreciated, and loyal—without adding to their already full plates.

So once you've filled those roles?
Let’s make sure they stick.