Recruiting Experience Leaves Most Candidates Less Than Thrilled

The great majority of employees and job seekers, 84%, are either looking for or open to a new job over the next six months, according to research by Greenhouse. But the tight labor market and continuing need to fill open roles is allowing candidates to become more selective, and more demanding about the recruiting experiences they encounter.

The Greenhouse Candidate Experience Report said that over 60% of candidates aren’t impressed by traditional recruiting processes and are pressuring employers to create more modern recruiting experiences. Candidates who run into delays in applying, slow recruiter response times, inconsistent feedback or ghosting are quick to move on.

Among the survey’s most telling results:

• More than 70% of job seekers said they won’t submit a job application if it takes longer than 15 minutes to complete.
• Almost 58% expect to hear back on their initial application within a week.
• Over 70% of job seekers want feedback on their interviews. More than 60% said that receiving feedback during the interview process, even if they don’t receive an offer, would make them more inclined to apply to a company in the future.
• More than 75% of job seekers have been ghosted after an interview.

Dropped Balls on Diversity

DE&I remains a critical consideration for job seekers of all ages. During the recruiting process, a large majority of candidates, 86%, said they consider the employer’s investment in DE&I. However, the report said, many companies are failing to create a positive and inclusive interview experience. For example, almost 43% of candidates have had their name mispronounced in a job interview.

The most important DE&I investments candidates evaluate are:

• Employee benefits such as coverage for remote and flexible work arrangements and gender affirmation paid leave (49%).
• Employee reviews on platforms like Glassdoor on progress and opportunities (47%).
• Diverse leadership team or board (34%).
• Promoting affinity and employee resource groups on the company’s careers page (34%).

Greenhouse co-founder and CEO Daniel Chait called the survey “a call to action for all companies.” The labor market, he said, “is in the midst of a real role reversal, and the talent pool has never been more selective and vocal about what they want from an employer.” Gone are the days when employers rejected candidates for spelling errors on their resume. “Now it’s the candidates who are rejecting employers,” he said.

In 2021, the average Greenhouse customer created 46% more job listings than they had in 2020, the report said, giving job seekers more options to pick from. At the same time, the volume of applications per job decreased by 21%, indicating that candidates have become more selective.

By Mark Feffer

Mark Feffer is executive editor of RecruitingDaily and the HCM Technology Report. He’s written for TechTarget, HR Magazine, SHRM, Dice Insights, TLNT.com and TalentCulture, as well as Dow Jones, Bloomberg and Staffing Industry Analysts. He likes schnauzers, sailing and Kentucky-distilled beverages.