Common Candidate Experience Complaints and How To Fix Them

According to one survey, 1 in 4 candidates reported a bad candidate experience at some point in their job seeker career. In addition, 42% of those candidates said they would never accept a position at that company because of their bad experiences. On top of that, 22% of candidates said they would also tell their colleagues to never apply to that company.

If you’re struggling to find top talent and the best candidates, you might need to look at your candidate experience and improve it. In one report, only 16% of recruiters said they focused on improving the candidate experience.

If you take the time to refresh your hiring process, you could give your company a competitive advantage in the job market. But what if you don’t know what’s wrong?

Keep reading to discover some top candidate complaints and how to fix them.

Long Application Process

Some research found that 92% of job applicants will never finish a job application during their job search. Because of this, you need to review your application process and ensure it’s as easy as possible.

For example, if you require that applicants upload their resumes, don’t ask them to fill out all of their resume information in the fields on the form. Also, try to avoid having job seekers make a profile to even apply for the job.

Keep in mind that you aren’t interviewing the candidate immediately. Save some questions for job candidates that you’ll interview. Keep the process as minimal as possible to reduce the length of the process so that you can have as many people as possible apply.

Remove any questions you can answer by looking at the candidate’s resume, and don’t ask for references until they pass through the interview stages. Just gather the information that will help supplement the resume. You’ll also want to ensure that you write a good job description with only essential qualifications.

No Follow Up

Regardless of what stage of the interview process candidates is at, you need to follow up with candidates, even if they’re rejected. Many might have put a lot of work into the experience, and having unanswered calls and emails can hurt your employment brand.

Getting a lot of candidates and managing them all can be stressful, but you can use automation and applicant tracking systems to reply to candidates that didn’t make the cut. Even if a candidate submits a resume to your company, take the time to let them know they’re not a right fit at that time.

If you can’t provide an answer immediately, at least follow up with the candidate to give them a timeline of when they should expect a response from you.

Hiring Managers Not Being Prepared

The candidates who do make it to the interview expect the same professional courtesy from a hiring manager or interviewer. As a hiring manager, you should look at their resume before the interview and prepare questions ahead of time. And ensure that you are on time as well.

When you do research and take time to review the candidate before the interview, you can ask better questions to ensure that you hire a good candidate. Remember that while interviewing the candidate, they’re also interviewing you to see if they want to work at your company.

No Transparency

Since interviews go both ways, you must give the candidate a chance to decide if your business is where they would like to work. Candidates should have access to all the information they need to make an informed decision about their next career move.

Be transparent and honest about your company when they’re asking questions. If you’re too vague, it can cause the candidate to hesitate and wonder if they are a fit for your company. If you don’t provide the candidate with enough information, they may still take the job and realize that they’re not the right fit, and then you’ll have to find someone else to fill their empty role.

If a candidate doesn’t ask any questions about the company, make sure that you encourage it. When they ask questions, answer them honestly and provide accurate descriptions of their position. They’re more likely to stick through the entire hiring process when they’re fully informed.

Not Having a Mobile-Friendly Career Site

Many candidates will look for jobs on their phones, and if your career site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’ll miss out on many applicants.

If you can’t optimize your website for mobile phones, then candidates will wonder if you’re a business that’s worth working for.

No Flexibility in Scheduling

One challenge that recruiters and hiring managers face is finding a time that works for everyone to schedule an interview. Thankfully, there is software out there that can streamline this process, but you still need to be flexible.

Some companies insist on in-person interviews, but this may not be feasible for every candidate anymore. It might be better to offer the option of a virtual interview. Not only will this make it easier for candidates to interview with you, but it will also show that you care about their schedule, which can improve your employer brand.

It would be best if you also offered some interview times for currently employed people. You might want to provide interview time slots during popular lunch hours and after work. While this might be inconvenient for your company, you could lose out on some great talent by only requiring candidates to attend multiple interviews during regular working hours.

Wasting Time

Keep your interview and hiring process as efficient as possible. When you schedule an interview, keep the time limit in mind and don’t go over it. Everyone from your company should also show up to the interview on time.

If you’re late or run over, you show the candidate that you don’t care about their time, which can negatively affect the company. Instead, make the candidate’s recruiting process as streamlined and efficient as possible.

You’ll also only want to limit your interviews to no more than three. Too many interviews frustrate candidates, but it can also cause them to take a position with a company with a shorter interview process.

Fix Your Candidate Experience Today

These are only a few common mistakes you can make during your hiring process, but there are many other mistakes you could be making.

If you don’t have experience interviewing and hiring candidates, you might want to leave it to the pros. That’s where Recruiter.com comes in!

Not only are we experts in recruiting, but we also have the tools and resources you need to provide a great candidate experience. Contact us today to learn how we can help you!

 

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