In yesterday’s Advisor, we presented the first 3 of 6 facts that employers simply must not ignore when it comes to the candidate experience during hiring; today, the rest of the facts from CareerBuilder’s study.
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The 2015 Candidate Behavior study, conducted by Inavero on behalf of CareerBuilder, surveyed more than 5,013 workers ages 18 and over and 2,002 hiring decision makers between February 3 and February 18, 2015.
Fact 4: Ongoing Communication Is Critical for Candidates
When it comes to candidate communication, employers seem to be falling short of candidates’ expectations. Thirty-six percent of candidates expect to be updated throughout the application process, and 41% expect to be notified if they weren’t chosen after they interviewed with the company.
Yet only 26% of employers proactively communicate with candidates on what stage of the hiring process they’re in. Even when they’ve made it as far into the process as an interview, many candidates are still left in the dark: Nearly three in four (73%) candidates who interviewed with companies said they were never given an explanation for why they didn’t get the job.
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Fact 5: Candidates Are Frustrated With the Application Process
When it comes to keeping candidates engaged and interested in their opportunities, a company’s application process can be its own worst enemy. Forty percent of candidates feel the application process has become more difficult in the last 5 years.
Of those, 57% complain the process is too automated and lacks personalization, 51% are frustrated they have no idea where they are in the process, and 50% say the process has so many more steps than it used to have.
A separate, earlier survey conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder found that three in five candidates do not complete the application process if they feel it is too long. Employers can reduce these frustrations by taking the time to respond to candidates, by keeping the lines of communication going, and by minimizing the number of steps candidates must go through during the application process.
Fact 6: Candidates Are More Willing to Accept Lower Salaries from Well-Reputed Employers
As noted earlier, treating candidates well is good for the bottom line. More than three in four candidates (77%) are willing to accept a salary that is 5% lower than their expected offer if the employer created a great impression through the hiring process; even more (83%) would do the same if the company had a reputation as a great employer. Candidates would also accept a lower salary if the company had a lot of positive press recently (69%) and had great online reviews (73%).
These findings underscore the importance of having a strong employment brand; however, more than half of employers (52%) do not have a clearly defined employment brand—giving the other 48% a distinct edge when it comes to capturing in-demand candidates at competitive prices.
You can view full results and the executive summary of the study here.
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