There are two distinct assessments happening anytime you bring in an applicant for an interview. The company’s evaluation of the job seeker gets the most press, but the applicant’s estimation of the potential employer is just as important.
If you can’t wait to bring on a certain candidate who’s had a less than positive experience with your company before his or her first day on the job, Top Candidate Charlie may just take a pass.
Chew on these statistics about applicant experience:
- 54 percent of workers admitted having a worse opinion of a company when there was no communication following their application. A “thank you for your interest, but…” email goes a long way toward engendering respect for your company and brand.
- 32 percent of applicants indicated that they were less likely to give business to a company that failed to acknowledge their application in any way.
- 78 percent of candidates said they would tell friends and family about a bad experience with a potential employer. Among the set who would happily spill the beans are 17 percent who said they’d take their experience to social media.
- 21 percent of participants reported that they had come in contact with a hiring manager or recruiter who was clearly not enthusiastic about his company. Hiring managers have to be on their A game when speaking with potential employees. Encountering dissatisfied employees is one of the fastest ways to turn off a would-be new hire.
- Participants cited content in the job ad as the top reason they’ve decided not to apply for a job. Broken links, technical issues, and extremely lengthy descriptions are enough to dissuade an applicant from taking the next step.
Making a point to treat everyone well who comes into contact with your company – however fleetingly – is just good business. You never know how many strong candidates you lose by making the application or recruitment process negative or cumbersome.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
