If you don’t want to miss out on the best candidates, you may need to shift your hiring process into high gear, new research reveals.
A recent poll of 1,000 job seekers conducted by Robert Half found that slow feedback from prospective employers about their status in the application process was candidates’ number one pain point. Other top frustrations include poor communication and delayed decision making from potential employers.
Job seekers were asked:
What are your biggest frustrations about the recruitment process when applying for a new role?*
Here is a breakdown of their biggest frustrations:
| Slow feedback to get an update about where I stand in the recruitment process | 52% |
| Poor communication about the required steps in the recruitment process | 44% |
| Delayed decision-making | 39% |
| Doing multiple job interviews with the same employer | 35% |
| Keeping track of multiple job opportunities with different employers | 33% |
| Difficulties scheduling interviews | 23% |
| Lack of transparency on rewards and benefits | 19% |
| Changing role requirements | 16% |
| Disappointment with contractual terms | 15% |
*Multiple responses permitted.
Research also found that seven in ten job seekers (71%) report regularly receiving multiple job offers when searching for work. Remember, interviewing is a two-way process. Candidates are assessing you just as much as you are them. A positive candidate experience – one that makes a good impression at every stage of the hiring process – is imperative if you want to beat competitors in the race to close top candidates.
Protect your brand
According to the survey, 52% of job seekers would not recommend a company as a potential employer if they have not received a timely response about their status. They are then likely to share their negative interview experience through word of mouth, on social media, or in a Glassdoor interview review – putting employers at risk of turning-off a whole network of potential candidates and damaging their reputation.
[Related: How to Communicate With Your Candidates in 2018]
Great candidate experiences attract top talent
It’s the job seekers who actually take the time to read interview reviews about your company so that they can decide whether you are the right organisation for them, who turn out to be your best hires. These informed candidates are twice as likely to be hired compared to candidates from other job sites because they’ve done their research and have realistic expectations about your organisation before deciding to apply. (1)
By reducing the number of unqualified CVs to sift through and moving through the funnel faster, informed candidates save you time and money. And once hired, they onboard faster, exhibit greater productivity, contribute to positive company culture, influence other great hires to come on board – and increase employee retention.
There’s no doubt about it: the interview experience is a vital part of your employer brand. While very few interviewees will receive an actual offer, they may become customers, competitors or even employees in the future. Putting your best foot forward in the hiring process can positively shape your reputation and help attract quality candidates.
Make sure to close the loop with candidates
But what happens when there’s a genuine delay in your hiring process, or you’re still not sure where a candidate stands? Be as transparent as possible – you still need to follow-up with candidates in the pipeline. If necessary, talk to your hiring manager first for an update. Then, to keep candidates ‘warm’, set realistic expectations about how long it will take to get back to them and what the next step is. As long as you’re honest and upfront, it’s okay if you don’t have everything figured out.
And even if you know things aren’t going to work out with a particular candidate, don’t ‘ghost’ them – meaning don’t suddenly stop communicating with them without an explanation. Closing the loop with all candidates by providing them with a final status update will have a lasting impact on your brand and talent acquisition strategy.
(1) Based on app-to-hire ratios in a 2015 study of 30 million applicants from a leading third-party recruitment agency
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