4 Rules for Improving Your Candidate Experience
Job Candidates Express Low Satisfaction Rates for Modern Applications
A recent Talent Board study found that job applicants want more simplicity and transparency during the application process. Below are several key statistics uncovered by the survey:The study, which surveyed 75,000 job applicants, revealed that candidate experience ratings are surprisingly low for modern applications. The two biggest pain points that candidates reported were a lack of communication during the application process and the amount of time spent completing applications. Below are the most telling statistics:
51% of job applicants rated their overall candidate experience from 1-3 on a scale of 5
Nearly half of all subjects reported never receiving an update on the status of their application
55% of candidates said the application process took 30+ minutes to complete (12% saying it took longer than 60 minutes)
Improve Your Candidate Experience Today!
As hiring processes have transitioned online, and now to mobile, they have been tailored primarily for recruiters and hiring managers, not job seekers. We are beginning to see the fallout of this one-sidedness manifest in these poor candidate experience results. With the job market becoming increasingly competitive, establishing a simple and transparent candidate experience is essential for attracting top talent. Below are four basic guidelines you can follow to ensure an enjoyable candidate experience.
1. Reduce Complexity and Length
As the time to complete an application increases, so too does the applicant drop-off rate. Implement a simple and transparent application process to avoid driving away qualified candidates. Focus on gathering only the essential information needed to determine whether you want to interview a candidate.
2. Proactively Manage Your Pipeline
Stagnant stages in the candidate pipeline can be a bane to any recruiter or hiring manager. More importantly, bottlenecks in your recruiting process directly impact the candidate experience. Keep candidates waiting for feedback and you’ll lose the best applicants while negatively affecting your employment brand. Proactively manage your pipeline to drive the decisions that increase hiring efficiency and ensure an enjoyable candidate experience.
3. Provide Instant Gratification
According to job applicants, lack of communication is the number one pain point lending to poor candidate experience. People don’t appreciate applying to a black hole. In today’s online world, job applicants expect near-immediate feedback. Providing job seekers with acknowledgement and steady communication is more than a nice to have, it’s mandatory. Employers that actively communicate with candidates naturally create stronger employment brands and generally have a better chance to land top talent.
4. Optimize Your Application for Mobile
This past year, use of mobile search surpassed use of traditional desktop and laptop search. With this behavioral shift, we are seeing a drastic change in the way that candidates search for and apply to jobs. As applicants transition their job search activities to mobile devices, it is vital that your application process is optimized for such behavior.
Simplifying Your Hiring Process Becomes...Simple
Although the four guidelines listed above are fairly straightforward, implementing them in your own application processes can be quite difficult without the right tools. That's why it's critical to identify an applicant tracking system that efficiently organizes and manages the entire recruiting and hiring process. With Newton, our fully featured Applicant Tracking system, Paycor offers a solution for recruiters and hiring managers looking to take control of their entire application life cycle. Click here to see a full list of features the solution offers, or schedule an appointment with one of our consultants to see a personalized demonstration on how our Applicant Tracking system can help you take a step forward in your hiring process.
Take Recruiting Quiz
Is your organization equipped to recruit top talent in a tough labor market? Find out and get a customized plan.
Take QuizMore to Discover
Why Diversity in the Workplace Matters
The latest research from the likes of McKinsey and the Harvard Business Review reveal that companies with diverse workforces are more profitable and have greater chances of attracting and retaining top talent. Still, many organizations have been slow to develop inclusion strategies primarily because they’re unsure how to promote and execute these initiatives. Start from the top In McKinsey’s research, they found that companies with the most diverse executives are 33% more profitable. Diverse management teams promote more innovation because individuals from different backgrounds with unique minds and ideas can come together and share input based on past experiences. If you’re looking to optimize a process or solve a lingering issue,...
Warning Signs of Disengagement
Four out of five medium and small businesses say they don’t effectively engage their employees. Why? Because many organizations lack ownership and the resources needed to understand what actually motivates their people. Organizations also tend to ignore the warning signs of disengagement believing a few unhappy employees can’t sway the masses. But similar to bankruptcy, disengagement happens gradually and then before you know it, the majority of your workforce is affected. Only 33% of employees are actually engaged at work, according to a Gallup study. Not only can disengagement quickly spread throughout an organization, but its impact is felt across all areas of the business. From lost productivity to affecting morale and even customer...
How to Create the Ideal Employee Experience
All companies covet an engaged, motivated workforce. When your people are engaged, they don’t behave like an average employee. They’re more like committed volunteers devoted to a mission, always seeking new opportunities to boost morale and make a difference. It’s no surprise then that, according to DecisionWise, in 2017, 73% of executives said employee engagement was a top concern. Yet Gallup’s annual survey of engagement continually finds that only 1/3 of employees are engaged at work. Most (51%) are not engaged and, even worse, 16% are actively disengaged. With so many companies focused on engagement, why don’t we see better results? A primary reason is that not all companies focus on the employee experience. Everything from...