What Causes a Bad Candidate Experience?

Learn what causes a bad candidate experience. Are you making these mistakes?

Why should you fear bad candidate experience?

A bad candidate’s experience has a direct negative impact not only on your ability to find and hire your ideal job candidate, but also on your overall company's business.

Research has shown that:

63% of job seekers will likely reject a job offer because of a bad candidate experience (Source: Software Advice).
72% of job seekers that had a bad experience told others about it, either online or in-person (Source: CareerArc).
64% of job seekers say that a poor candidate experience would make them less likely to purchase goods and services from that employer (Source: CareerArc).

What causes a bad candidate experience?

3 main reasons responsible for bad candidate experience are:

1. Not enough communication

CareerBuilder survey has found that 75% of applicants never hear back from employers.

Upgrade your candidate experience by:

Communicating at every step of your recruiting process
Using these email templates for recruiters to save time
Using Applicant Tracking System to automate repetitive tasks

2. Messy application process

CareerBuilder survey has found that 60% of job seekers quit in the middle of filling out online job applications because they are too long or too complicated.

Upgrade your candidate experience by:

Allowing various application options (let your candidates apply only by uploading their resume or via their social media profiles)
Shortening your application forms - include only the questions that are absolutely necessary
Optimizing your career site.

3. Interview horror

The LinkedIn survey has found that 83% of talent say a negative interview experience can change their mind about a role or company they once liked.