Job Seekers Deserve Feedback, Response, Something from Employers
Searching for a job is a full-time job, especially since for many companies the online application process using an ATS or applicant tracking system takes an upwards of 45 minutes to complete. Recruiters and HR professionals want to obtain as much information as possible so as not to make a bad hiring decision or spend wasted time interviewing and engaging an unqualified candidate. And so job seekers get the shaft, applying for positions sending their resume into what is affectionately called the resume black hole.
Job seekers like Rob McGahen (@rmcgahen) who has been actively job searching for six months are frustrated with the job search and the lack of follow up from companies. "I've experienced the resume black hole with no updates, information, let alone any news if your resume has been read by an actual human being," says McGahen.
1/3 of Companies Don't Communicate or Send a Turn Down Letter
As social media has grown in popularity, many companies are now becoming aware of job seekers and their frustration and dissatisfaction with the hiring and online application process. When it comes to the hiring process, companies are no longer communicating a job seeker's status in the employment process whatsoever. Things like recruiter phone call, job seeker feedback, a turn down letter, or even an email autoresponse are welcomed forms of communication even if they are the bare bones. Because of social media's open nature, this public frustration and lack of communication from companies by job seekers is something companies can no longer afford to ignore. A group of recruiters and human resource professionals are working to change the hiring and candidate process focusing on what they call "the candidate experience."
These job seekers are people too, many of them who are connected or who serve as not only a candidate for the company where they apply but are a potential or current customer especially in the B2C marketplaces. More importantly, it's just the right thing to do.
Recognizing the Candidate Experience
The Candidate Experience Awards in their second year seeks to help drive awareness and reward companies consider the candidate's hiring process from application to interview to job offer. In 2011, the awards are overseen by the Talent Board, a non-profit agency received more than 32 companies who entered to be considered. The awards surveyed the company's HR and Recruiting teams as well as the company's job seeker population of 8,000 surveyed. Their findings serve as a starting point for corporate recruiting when it comes to engagement focused on the job seeker:
While job seekers like McGahen are frustrated with the resume black hole phenomenon, his experience from companies who follow up after the interview is significantly less than the 60-70 percent found from the Talent Board.
"I never hear anything back from employers after my interview. There is no follow up, and it is so frustrating," says McGahen.
The candidate experience is a mesh of both marketing, employer branding, and recruitment rolled all into one. Organizations like the Talent Board, which is accepting applications for their 2012 Candidate Experience Awards through midnight on Friday, July 13th, are helping to drive conversations as HR and recruiters enter a new frontier where we move from the resume black hole to an interactive conversation and courting process as companies compete for top talent beyond social media. Personally, job seekers need to hold their prospective employers accountable, providing them feedback on the candidate experience even if unsolicited. So what does that look like as far as accountability? What's the best and worst candidate experience you've ever witnessed or encountered?
Follow Jessica Miller-Merrell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/blogging4jobs
Though I agree that lack of response negatively impacts on an employer brand and that candidate experience is key and should be worked on, recruiters are busy and it's usually unintentional that they don't respond. It can be as simple as email overload.
So, if you're a job seeker, if your skills match the role (i.e. you're not one of the 68% applying for roles you're not qualified for), then chase - show your enthusiasm, energy and blue-sky thinking, it will make a difference.
The worst candidate experience I had was when I was interviewing for a healthcare management position. The process ended up taking over a month; after my initial interview I was told I’d be contacted if I made it to the “second round” of interviews. They gave me no idea of how long they were doing the initial round of interviews or when/if I’d find out if I made it or not to the second round or not. After a month of not hearing anything, I assumed I didn’t make it; but a week later I received a call wanting to set up my second round interview. I did end up going to the second interview, but didn’t end up taking the position (even though it was offered to me after week 8). If it takes that long for them to decide on a candidate without informing those applying that the process may take that long, I assumed their whole company was slow.
One bad experience I had was after an interview that went extremely well, the director PROMISED she'd let me know within two days. Never heard a thing, until 2 months later she called to say a similar position opened up, but they were still finalizing details. I told her my availability and she PROMISED she'd call me that week. I didn't hold my breath.
But the absolute worst experience was when I put a lot of effort into cultivating a relationship with a manager I knew was going to hire a technical writer. We were connected by a mutual acquaintance. I emailed the manager, met with her, she requested my resume twice and praised it up and down. She even passed it around the office to introduce me to my future coworkers. This was all before the position was even officially available, and even though she never promised me the job, she strongly hinted. This company also has a hire-a-new-graduate (which I was at the time) hiring incentive for managers, and with all these things I thought I had it in the bag.
Job opens and I apply, she hires a stranger with 19years experience. Even though we had a personal relationship and she led me to believe I would be hired, she didn't even tell me the rejection herself. I hear about it through our mutual acquaintance.