These days, candidate experience is everything, and while recruiters and employers understand the power of a positive experience, many candidates still feel undervalued. In fact, did you know that according to research 60% of job seekers report having a negative candidate experience? Given how this can have a detrimental effect on employer branding, that’s an astounding statistic.
However, today we’re not going to talk about how this affects an employer. Today we’re taking a look at how you, the candidate, can use your experience in the hiring process to make the best decision for your future.
The power of positivity
A positive candidate experience is good for everyone concerned. The candidate enjoys the hiring process and feels valued every step of the way while the recruiter and employer can build a solid reputation for caring about their candidates.
But what does this positive experience tell you about your prospective employer?
For one thing, it shows that this employer values their employees.
How so?
Well, if a company is willing to invest time and money into creating a hiring process that engages candidates, then this is surely a clear indication that they care a great deal about their employees.
It also shows that the employer is forward thinking and prepared to go the extra mile to ensure that they get the best possible candidates for a role.
This means that should you land the role; it’s likely that your future colleagues are a talented bunch. And nothing beats working with people who are good at their jobs.
But what about a negative experience? Is that also indicative of a potential employer’s work culture?
What is a negative candidate experience?
First off, let’s be clear that not getting the job does not equate to having a negative candidate experience. Yes, rejection can be hard to take, but it’s also something we can learn from.
And besides, if the company didn’t hire you then perhaps you simply weren’t a good fit for the role or the company’s work culture.
According to the 60% of job seekers we mentioned earlier, these are some of the most common grievances they came across in the hiring process.
A long application process
Confusing or unclear application instructions
A job description that lacks essential details
No email confirming receipt of an application
Long wait times for a response
Unanswered calls and emails
As you can imagine, not knowing if a company received your application after spending a couple of hours on it must be extremely frustrating. And that’s before we even mention being unable to contact the recruiter or hiring manager.
These are the types of things that make for a negative candidate experience.
Now let’s see what all of this means to you.
When a company fails to invest in its hiring process, it could indicate a lack of professionalism on their part. As we mentioned earlier, at this stage of the game, employers should be fully aware of the ramifications of ignoring this vital aspect of the recruitment process.
But even more worrying is that a less-than-enjoyable candidate experience could indicate an unsatisfactory working culture where the company undervalues its employees.
With 55% of job seekers stating that they avoid certain companies after reading negative reviews about candidate experience, the employer is also fishing in a much smaller talent pool. As a result, there could be significant talent gaps within the company. Remember what we said earlier about working with people who are good at their jobs?
Why a positive experience is so important to a candidate
On a more personal level, enjoying your candidate experience can make a huge difference to your job hunt and how you make decisions in relation to your future.
When, as a candidate, you feel respected by a recruiter or potential employer, it’s much easier to make a decision based on the role alone as opposed to your negative impression of the hiring process.
If you are looking for a new challenge, the chances are that you’re now engaged in the hiring process at several different companies. If every one of those prospective employers has an application process that frustrates and recruiters who don’t return calls, the entire job hunting experience can easily become something akin to a walk through hell.
Looking for a job is difficult enough without having frustration and disrespect thrown into the bargain.
So what does this all mean to you?
While there is always the possibility that an employer with a poor attitude towards candidates has the job of your dreams on their career page, the odds that you’ll feel undervalued in the role are pretty high.
With this in mind, you need to pay close attention to the smaller details when entering the candidate pipeline.
Does the company offer clear and precise details on the role?
Is the recruiter or hiring manager available to answer your questions?
Is the application process easy to navigate and not too time-consuming?
Does the recruiter keep you informed on how things are going?
What you don’t want is to become a member of the 60% club of unsatisfied candidates. So if any of these aspects of the early hiring process become an issue, think very carefully about how far you want to go with this employer.
Having said all of that, there’s no magic formula for using your candidate experience to spot a less than desirable employer.
If only it were as simple as
3 X negative aspects = bad work culture
Finding a great employer would be so much easier!
However, we do know one way that you can be assured that your new employer is the right fit. Yes, this may sound a little biased, but you can trust Software Placements to match you to the right role and most importantly, the right employer.
So if you’re looking for a new challenge, get in touch with us today, and we’ll make sure that not only do you find the right role but that you enjoy yourself every step of the way.