Anyone who has ever searched for a job understands how frustrating the process can be. You spend all of your free time seeking out the most applicable listings, customizing your cover letter and resume to set you apart from the competition, and sending your materials into what feels like a black hole. Sometimes there’s an immediate response, other times there’s only crickets — leaving you to wonder whether your materials ever made it to a hiring manager.
Unfortunately, these bouts of silence and other forms of negative candidate experiences have become a very common part of the job search. Some blame it on the highly competitive nature of the job market, but others are starting to realize many companies simply aren’t going above and beyond with their hiring process.
If you’ve found some of your experiences as a job candidate to be less-than-positive, you’re not alone. In fact, more than one in four workers reported having had a bad experience when applying for a job. And a shocking 75 percent of workers who applied to jobs using various resources in the last year said they never heard back from the employer. Has sending a resume really turned into a shot in the dark?
These results came from a recent CareerBuilder survey. They reached out to 3,900 U.S. workers to get a better look at the the candidate experience — the data they gathered showed some surprising figures:
Acknowledging Job Applicants
Knowing where you stand in the hiring process is a wonderful feeling. Eighty-two percent of workers expect to hear back from a company when applying for a job, regardless of whether the employer is interested. And not hearing back has its implications. Nearly one-third of workers who went without acknowledgement said they’d be less inclined to purchase products or services from the company.
What Constitutes A Bad Applicant Experience?
Results show 26 percent of workers had had a bad experience as a job applicant. They cited lack of follow-through, inconsistencies from the employer, or poor representation of the company’s brand as the primary issues. Here are some other important statistics:
- Employer never bothered letting me know the decision after the interview – 60 percent
- Found out during the interview that the job didn’t match what was written in the job ad – 43 percent
- Company representative didn’t present a positive work experience – 34 percent
- Company representative didn’t seem to be knowledgeable – 30 percent
- Employer never acknowledged receiving my application – 29 percent
The Effects Of Bad Candidate Experiences
Employers who regularly provide bad candidate experiences throughout their hiring processes don’t go unnoticed. These poor experiences have a greater impact on the employer’s ability to recruit or sell products. Many workers said if they are dissatisfied with the way their application is handled by an employer they would never seek employment at the company again, tell others not to work there, and tell others not to purchase products or services from the company.
As for a positive experience, the good news would be spread to all. Workers would consider seeking employment with the company in the future if they didn’t land a position this time around, as well as tell other to seek employment there.
The candidate experience is important to both job seekers and employers. If you’ve experienced a bad experience as a candidate, it’s important to realize you aren’t alone. Keep your chin up and remember opportunities are around every corner.
What have you experienced on the job hunt in terms of employer response?
