It’s a common scenario in police recruitment. You get 100 initial applications. You schedule the physical agility test. Saturday morning arrives, and only a few people show up.
Where did the other 60 go? They “ghosted” you.
This mid-funnel drop-off is often caused by the “Anxiety Gap.” The period between submitting an online form and showing up in person to perform physically in front of uniformed officers is intimidating. Doubt creeps in. Am I fit enough? What if I fail in front of everyone? Maybe I’ll just stay home.
To increase turnout, your agency must actively manage this anxiety through proactive communication.
Police Recruitment
Demystify the Process with Video
Fear of the unknown is the biggest driver of no-shows in police recruitment. Don’t just send an email listing the required push-ups and run times.
Send a text message with a link to a video showing the exact course they will run. Show real applicants doing it. Have a trainer explain exactly what counts as a “fail.” When a candidate knows exactly what to expect, their anxiety drops, and their likelihood of showing up increases.
Over-Communicate via Text
Email reminders get buried. Text messages get read.
In the weeks leading up to the test, use automated recruiting software to send regular nudges:
- 1 Week Out: “Hey [Name], your test is next Saturday. Here are some tips for preparing this week.”
- 3 Days Out: “Reminder: Hydrate well the next few days. We look forward to seeing you Saturday.”
- Morning Of: “Doors open in 1 hour at [Location]. See you soon!”
These small touchpoints show the candidate you are invested in their success, making them feel more obligated to attend.
Stop losing qualified candidates to test-day jitters. Safeguard Recruiting’s automation software helps you nurture applicants through the critical mid-funnel stages.
Conclusion
Police recruitment doesn’t fail at the top of the funnel as often as it fails in the middle. The hard truth is that many agencies generate interest but bleed candidates at the exact moment the process becomes real. The physical agility test isn’t just a fitness checkpoint. It’s a psychological hurdle. If you treat it like an appointment on a calendar instead of an anxiety event that must be managed, you will keep watching strong prospects disappear without a word.
The police recruitment solution is not to lower standards or beg people to show up. The solution is to lead them through uncertainty with clarity, coaching, and consistency. Candidates ghost when they feel unprepared, unseen, or unsure of what will happen. When you replace vague instructions with a clear video walkthrough, you remove the fear of the unknown. When you send helpful, timed text reminders, you replace silence with structure. When you communicate as if they will succeed, you shift their mindset from “I might fail” to “I know what to do next.”
This is where modern police recruitment systems change outcomes. Automated recruiting tools don’t replace the human element in police recruitment. They protect it. They ensure every applicant gets guidance at the right moment, not when a recruiter finally finds time. They standardize the “pre-test coaching” that most agencies intend to do but rarely execute consistently. And consistency is what turns intent into attendance.
If your agility test turnout is low, you don’t have a candidate problem. You have a communication gap. Tighten the gap and you’ll boost show-ups, preserve momentum, and get more qualified people to the next step. Safeguard Recruiting helps agencies operationalize this approach with automation that reduces no-shows, improves candidate confidence, and keeps your pipeline moving when it matters most.
Schedule a demo to see how we increase test turnout.
Academic Source:
Ryan, A. M., Sacco, J. M., McFarland, L. A., & Kriska, S. D. (2000). Applicant self-selection: Correlates of withdrawal from a multiple hurdle process. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(2), 163–179.
