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:
- Sixty-eight percent of job seekers who apply for positions are not qualified for the position.
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?