The Top Causes of Bad Candidate Experience

Written by Tom Clegg on .

Candidate experience is the overall perception of your company’s recruiting process and company culture. Right from the beginning of what you include in your job advert, how you deal with the application process right through to the interview and hiring stage is vital to ensure you attract the best talent and portray your company as the best place to work!

A bad candidate experience not only has a direct negative impact on your business but also affect your ability to find your next ideal candidate.

What are the main causes?

  1. Lack of communication – According to CareerBuilder survey, 75% of applicants never hear back from employers. Providing feedback to candidates either to inform them of the progression of their application or to inform them that you will not be progressing their application, does not need to be a time-consuming task. This will speak volumes about your company values and culture by being considerate towards all the applicants that have applied for the position.

    Candidates want to know the information they’ll get reflects not only the work they’ll do, but also the company and the environment in which they’ll work. Including two or three sentences about your company culture and what its like to be a part of your organisation will enable the candidate to gain an insight of the personality of your company and will set the tone for the rest of the process.
  2. No Straight Forward Process – During the recruiting process, candidates voice frustration with unclear application instructions and long applications. And they want more communication about the status of their application after it’s been submitted.
    Throughout the hiring process, candidates want to be prepared prior to interviews and know if they’ll receive an offer or feedback after the interview, and if so, when. The lack of a feedback in the interview process and delayed or non-existent communications after a position’s been filled are issues that consistently occur and are addressed in candidate surveys.
  3. Unpleasant Interview – According to a LinkedIn survey, 83% of candidates say a negative interview experience can change their mind about a role or company they applied for. An unpleasant interview can have a major negative impact on your candidate experience and as a result can prevent you hiring the ideal candidate.

What Should You Do to Improve Candidate Engagement?

Here is a list of simple tasks you can introduce into your hiring process that will ensure you attract the best talent and portray your company in a strong positive way;

  • Communicate with applicants throughout each stage. Use an ATS to assist you with sending auto emails to candidates once an application has been received, shortlisted, progressed to an interview request, or if the applicant is unsuccessful. Using an ATS to make these communications will be time effective.
  • Keep application forms precise. Eliminate the process of needing to create an account to apply.
  • Plan your interview and interviews beforehand.
  • Use an interview invitation template. Be sure to include all the vital information needed by the candidate; location, time, attire, what to bring and prepare.