17 Candidate Experience Statistics You Should Know

Candidate experience is at the centre of hiring trends these days. It is, in fact, the secret behind attracting and acquiring the best staff. Candidate experience is the overall journey of a candidate as they interact with a set of recruiters while going through the hiring process.  The entire experience of a candidate is composed of all the necessary steps required for hiring, be it application, screening or the interview process.

While there is plenty of talent available in the market, the job market is as competitive as it is diverse. To be ahead of your competitors, you need to be updated with the dynamics and trends of hiring at all times. That is why in this article, we have talked about the importance of candidate experience in addition to presenting 17 hiring stats that familiarise you with what candidates expect from recruiters. What’s more? We have even given you hiring tips to improve the candidate experience.

Understanding Why Candidate Experience is Important?

You may have a lot of options available when you look for a single good candidate. Although many candidates have to exit at various points during the hiring process, it is important that all candidates are given equal importance as their experience is crucial for the business in many ways. Here are ways in which candidate experience impacts a business-

• A candidate that has negative experience would want to voluntarily leave in the middle of the hiring process. In this way, firms would lose out on good candidates, and this might even lead to an increase in the cost spent in the overall hiring process
• If a candidate has a positive experience, then it will promote your company and enhance its reputation. The candidate will leave good reviews and say positive things on social media. Candidates make sure to check websites such as Glassdoor for reviews, before applying. On the other hand, if the candidates are unhappy with the hiring process, they will discourage others from applying as well. This will be detrimental to your reputation, and you will lose out on many good candidates. A bad reputation will also result in a decline in sales as it also negatively affects the customers.
• In case the candidates have a bad experience while they participate in the hiring process, they might even stop using your products and services and switch to your competitors. Besides, they may also encourage others to do so.
• Constructive criticism and dealing with candidates in a respectful manner even when they are not selected for the role are crucial. A good example of this is the case of VodafoneZiggo. Marco Leijenhorst, Senior Manager for Talent Sourcing at VodafoneZiggo, ran an exploratory pilot test with Starred to measure Candidate Experience. His team took the decision to contact each rejected candidate and have constructive discussions to let them know the reason for their rejection. This resulted in a 20-25% improvement in candidate experience and a and eventual increase in their goodwill.

Important Stats Regarding Candidate Experience –

Candidate Experience and its Impact on Business

As you would have already understood candidate experience really does have a huge impact on business, be it sales, reputation or finding good talent. These hiring stats show exactly to what extent candidate experience interferes with the hiring process. –

• A favourable candidate experience boosts an applicant’s chance of accepting a job from the recruiters by up to 38%.
• Data published by Career Builders indicated that almost 78% believe the whole candidate experience they are given reflects how a firm appreciates its workers.
• More than 72% of candidates will share regarding their bad experiences with a company with their acquaintances. Additionally, more than 50% of people would not even consider applying to a company with average to bad reviews. (StandoutCV)
• A staggering 80% of people will promote the company online on having a positive experience through LinkedIn and Glassdoor reviews, social media, telling their friends and families, etc.
• More than half of the people will stop using products or services offered by the company on having a bad experience as a candidate and will tell others to do the same. Whereas, up to 60% of these candidates would first look to avail the competitors’ products or services.

Application Process and Data

It is extremely important to make sure that the candidates have a smooth and hassle-free application process as it is the first step in the hiring cycle and leaves a huge impact on their minds. The application process should be sensible, not take too much time, be easy to fill in, and not ask for personal or inappropriate details. The application questions should refrain from including anything that might be uncomfortable or a sensitive topic for the candidate. Ask only questions that are relevant to the role and more particularly to acquire basic data to move towards the next step in the hiring cycle.

Here are some facts that prove the importance of application process-

• Applications that include 30 or more questions lower application submissions by up to 50%, while those with more than 45 questions a rate of abandonment of nearly 90%. You should avoid the inclusion of unnecessary questions and focus on getting the most important bits of information regarding the candidates’ skills and suitability for the role.
• If the recruitment process is heavily complex and demanding, 60% of applicants will drop out. Therefore, it is better to stick to the most necessary questions that would address multiple issues at once and can be answered without much effort or thinking on the candidate’s part.
• According to SmartRecruiters, 47% of prospective seekers did not apply for a position as the hiring procedure was “too lengthy or complicated.” Making the procedure complicated will only cost you good candidates as you would lose on a huge chunk of candidates from your pool. They would eventually move to competitors with a more efficient and logical application process.

Stats Pertaining to Job Search

To collect a huge pool of qualified and talented candidates you should be accessible to them over various platforms and should be approachable through all sorts of media and devices, be it mobile, computer or telephone et cetera. It is also important to address the queries of potential candidates before they even apply through social media, email, phone calls, chats, chatbots, or any other way that is convenient to them. You should post relevant and appropriate job descriptions and requirements so that you come up in the job search when candidates look for roles suiting their profile.

• According to the Job Description Library, more than 86% of people use mobile phones as the first means to look for a job. While going through various job ads, people often look for basic information such as the salary that they would receive, job location, perks and bonuses, and most importantly employee reviews and candidate experience.
• Glassdoor has reported that more than 50 million candidates use their platform to assess job parameters like employee experience and salary.

Data Related to Communication

• Post-completion of their job applications, over 63% of candidates report being dissatisfied with the way firms carry out communication.
• According to CareerBuilder, the lack of any response from hiring managers frustrates 52% of prospects.
• CareerBuilder has also stated that 83% of candidates believe that clarifying expectations by offering an explicit timeline of the hiring process would considerably improve the overall experience.
• Employers sharing the recent status of a candidate’s application could significantly enhance the candidate experience, according to 81% of job seekers. (CareerBuilder)

Interview

Interview is the most comprehensive part of the candidate experience and gives them a chance to interact with the hirers in detail and address any queries that they have. The process should leave a good impression on the candidates and in case of rejection should not negatively affect their spirits. The process should be fair and avoid all sorts of biases. Did you know that-

• According to StandoutCV, 46% of candidates say that they felt like their employers did not respect their time during interviews. Besides that, 25% of job applicants have had the negative experience of waiting as the hiring managers arrived late for the interview.
• 64% of the candidates felt like more than two stages in an interview process is unnecessary.
• An interview experience that was not up to the candidate’s expectations can cause 83% of them to altogether reject a career or company they formerly admired, while a favourable interview experience can draw them to a role or company they once doubted.

Improving candidate experience is a crucial component of any successful recruitment process. Candidates who have a positive experience are more likely to accept an offer, be satisfied with their job, and become loyal employees. Additionally, businesses that prioritize candidate experience can also benefit from increased brand awareness, improved employer reputation, and higher-quality hires. Ultimately, investing in better candidate experience can lead to a myriad of benefits for both employers and applicants. With the right tools and strategies, businesses can create a seamless and satisfying candidate experience that will not only impress their applicants but also help them find the right talent for their organization.

You can improve the candidate experience greatly by incorporating an ATS like HireME, it streamlines the hiring process and makes each step easier. From helping with job searches to providing application templates, ensuring good communication through automation and scheduling interviews, the software does it all!

So, would you put the candidate experience first?