Why Job Seekers Expect Better Hiring Experiences

By Dennis McCafferty | Posted 2017-07-20

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Why Job Seekers Expect Better Hiring Experiences

Companies would help attract top talent by reaching out to job candidates more often during the hiring process. Instead, many leave candidates in the dark.
First Impressions

75% of the workers surveyed said their candidate interviewing and onboarding experience was the first part of building a broader experience with their employer.
Poor Communications

More than 50% said that, in the beginning of hiring discussions, employers do not do a good job of setting expectations about how they will communicate throughout the process.
Simple Step

81% said that companies can greatly improve the hiring experience by continuously communicating with status updates.
Unexplored Exchanges

35% of hiring decision-makers said they don't regularly devote time to communicating with their talent pool of candidates.
MIA

40% of the employees surveyed said there was a lack of communications between accepting a job and the first day of work, and 47% of hirers admitted that they don't have a formal process to stay in touch with new hires.
Vital Resource

89% of the workers said that a potential employer's career content on its website plays an important role when trying to get key information about the company.
Content Clash

Only 45% said they can tell what it's like to work for a company based on career information on its site, and 24% said the career information doesn't accurately convey what it's like to work for that organization.
Poor Preparation

Only 40% of hiring decision-makers surveyed are prepped by recruiters or talent acquisition specialists, and just 16% are prepped to help manage candidates' experiences.
Top Frustrations for Job Candidates

Needing to customize documents for every job: 34%, Uploading a résumé into a system but still having to manually fill out fields: 29%, Filling out applications that take too long: 28%
Exploring Options

60% of candidates continue communicating and even interviewing with other companies while waiting on background results from a potential employer.
Generational Preferences, Part I

57% of Millennial candidates prefer to communicate with prospective employers via email, and only 31% prefer phone calls.
Generational Preferences, Part II

58% of Boomer candidates prefer to communicate with prospective employers via phone conversations, and just 37% prefer emails.
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The majority of workers said that the job interview and onboarding processes frequently set the tone for their employment experience with a company, yet too few organizations handle them well, according to a recent survey from CareerBuilder. The resulting "2017 Candidate Experience Study" reveals that employers aren't making enough effort to set expectations about how and when they will communicate throughout the hiring process—such as providing regular status updates. Many hiring managers admit that they don't devote time to regularly communicating with their talent pool of candidates. Given that most job seekers still communicate and interview with other companies while waiting on background results from a potential employer, organizations may want to do more proactive outreach to candidates. "A positive candidate experience is a competitive advantage in a job market where candidates have flexibility in their job selection," said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. "To remain competitive and create a candidate experience that attracts, secures and retains today's top talent, you need to determine how your current hiring methods measure up to what candidates are looking for." More than 4,500 workers and 1,500 hiring decision-makers took part in the research.

Dennis McCafferty is a freelance writer for Baseline Magazine.