What if you ordered an item you not only really wanted, but that could actually improve your life on a daily basis…and you had to wait forever to get it? You placed the order, got a response saying they’d get back to you, and then dealt with complete radio silence for weeks. When you checked on the status, you got the same reply as before…or no reply at all. How long would you wait before trying to get the product elsewhere, and how likely would you be to use that company again? Most significantly, what sort of recommendation would you give to others about it?
This sort of scenario happens far too regularly when it comes to candidates and the application/hiring process. If you’re wondering why you have eager, top clients who suddenly disappear, you may want to look at your own hiring practices.
- Top candidates won’t wait around. Nor do they have to. Smart companies will snap up the best talent quickly, knowing other companies will also want them…and they don’t want or have to wait around for places that draw out the hiring process. And if you become known as a company that takes forever to hire, you’ll effectively keep most quality candidates from even considering wanting to work there. Even an offer of great salary and benefits may go by the wayside if another company offers a little less but a much shorter wait time.
- It casts your company in a negative light. A long hiring process brands you not only for that flaw; it makes candidates and, quite possibly, clients who know those candidates question your ability to get things done. Clients may begin to wonder if your lengthy hiring process implies you’re indecisive or unorganized as a company because you can’t get things done in a reasonable amount of time.
- It feels redundant or downright disrespectful. A 2015 CareerBuilder survey discovered that an extremely long application rated second (just behind “unclear application instructions”) as a top cause of a negative candidate experience, with 49 percent saying it would “significantly worsen” the experience. The application itself can scare candidates away if it requires them to not only submit their resume, but also individually post every. Single. Job. Separately. Including all duties, dates, etc. — everything already in the resume. This is why hiring software programs exist: To streamline the process, making it easy for an eager candidate to apply rather than getting bogged down in essentially recreating what already exists. Many candidates find this sort of application a waste of their time, which is just as valuable as the employer’s.
Do what you can to attract top candidates with your hiring experience. And if you want a great hiring experience all around, partner with the specialized recruiting experts at PrideStaff Thousand Oaks.
