Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization Show Season 2: 001 Candidate Experience or Resentment 2019
Founded in 2011, Talent Board wanted to shed light on companies that were attempting to improve the candidate experience. About 3 ½ years ago, our guest on today’s show, Kevin Grossman, was approached with the offer to run and scale the program. Working with hundreds of employers around the world, Talent Board is a not for profit institution that works to continue educating employers on how to elevate the candidate experience during the recruitment process.
Regardless of company size and culture, companies that are investing more in communication have access to more qualified candidates, as well as higher rates of retention.
In 2018,
60% of candidates received an automated email turning them down.
20% of candidates received a personal email with the news.
10% of candidates received a phone call.
Now, obviously for large scale companies or any business that hires in mass quantities throughout the year, a personal phone call to each rejected candidate is not feasible. Often, automation needs to be used when it comes to turn-down responses. However, it’s important to remember that tech is only as good as how it is being utilized. For example, triggering automated responses at the right time and tweaking the automation so that they are more personalized in style can make all the difference.
Another concerning issue is in regards to companies “ghosting” candidates. Over 52% of candidates claim that they didn’t receive any sort of response to their application. Not an automated cold email, nor a personal email, and definitely not a phone call! Businesses would be wise to remember that candidate resentment from a poor interview experience directly affects the chance that they will continue purchasing or consuming products from the company itself, as well as risking their resentment spreading into negative reviews of the business among family and friends.
Power has shifted to candidates, and if companies don’t acknowledge this, they may just start to see a shift in their retention of, and access to, qualified candidates.
At the end of the day, it’s not automation or tech that’s killing the candidate experience. It’s the absence of communication and the lack of providing them with definitive closure at the end of the day. Candidates just want to know - are you going to choose me or not?
Check out Kevin Grossman and the rest of Talent Board at: