Has your company seen a decrease in the number of qualified candidates recently? Having a career page and posting open positions to social media isn’t enough. Did  you know that on average 46% of candidates rate their experience poor or very poor? Why is this, and who is to blame? When candidates have a less than favorable experience, it’s safe to say that recruiters are often responsible. 

Yes, you ARE late for a very important date.

It’s a well-know faux pas to be late to a job interview whether you’re the candidate or the interviewer. . Nearly 60% of employers agree that arriving late to an interview is one of the worst things a candidate can do, so if that’s the case, then recruiters should be held to the same standard of punctuality. In fact, 80% of active candidates say that if their interviewer is more than 10 minutes late it leaves them with a negative impression of the company. It leaves them with a negative impression of the company, which is the last thing recruiters should do. 

The best solution to being late to an interview is to be early. If you’re not 15 minutes early, you’re late.

Not prepared? Not acceptable.

Candidates have questions, too. Recruiters serve as representatives for the company. So, if they are unable to answer questions candidates have during the interview, it reflects poorly on the company. It’s not just an interview for the candidate. They are interviewing the company as well.

Recruiters who give the impression of a personal touch to their recruitment style tend to win over candidates. According to an infographic by HireRight, 90% of candidates who were treated with courtesy during the interview left with a positive impression of the company and would recommend others. Likewise, unpreparedness is noticeable, and candidates notice. They see when recruiters are hurried and not ready for the interview. 

Expect the unexpected? Better yet, prepare for the unanticipated. Candidates will have questions, so be ready with answers.

Failure to give closure

No one said rejecting candidates was going to be easy. But as with any job, there are responsibilities that are not enjoyable. Rejection is a part of talent acquisition; it is unavoidable. All too often candidates find out they were not chosen for the job simply from a recruiter’s negligence to touch base. It is destructive to the employer brand and leaves candidates thinking:

“It does make the company look totally pathetic and sad that they couldn’t get back to me with the status of the job I interviewed for. I will warn any of my past co-workers… to stay away from this company, they are very unprofessional.”

Professional behavior isn’t lined with rainbows and butterflies. Most candidates are bound to hear unpleasant news of the job opening they interviewed for. However, in their rejection, it’s only polite and courteous to let them know they were not selected for the position 58% of applicants agree that irregular or no updates from a company in response to a job they applied for leads to a poor candidate experience.  

Everyone is cursed with some bad habits, recruiters included. Every good recruiter is not-so-gracefully gifted with a bad habit or two. Anything from being habitually behind schedule to forgetting about the rejected candidates, all of them can tarnish the employer brand the company has tiredly worked for. Don’t let candidates have a negative experience if at all possible, because 64% of them will share it on social media. They say nothing is faster than the speed of light; however, it’s arguable that word of mouth might travel a bit quicker.

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