Is That Hiring Company Ghosting You

Is That Hiring Company Ghosting You Can  you imagine a world where companies devote  as much  energy and resources to the  job  candidate experience as they do to the customer experience?  Nice dream, eh?   Unfortunately,  reality  is not so pleasant; it’s actually  trending in the  opposite  direction. According to a recent  Manpower Group Solutions survey, 58  percent  of  job seekers  say that a negative  candidate  experience makes them less likely to buy a company’s products or services.     During my three decades  as  a  hiring manager  and  a  job-seeker,  and  now  as a  coach  of  thousands of  candidates, the  level of  candidate frustration has gotten worse.  Not  one job-seeker    at any age  and  with any background    has said to me,  â€œWow, even though I didn’t get the job, that company was so respectful that I like them more now than before I applied!”       Per Manpower, the following are the top most impactful negative candidate experiences:   61% Lack of transparency on salary or job description   60% Negative interview experience   56% No employer follow-up after initial interview   55% No response to a submitted job application   48% Response to a job application 6-8 weeks after submittal   This negative trend is shocking to me  for two reasons:   1 Technology  can enable candidate  respect.   Most companies have access to technology called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which has the functionality to send customized messages to candidates on every  step of the recruiting  and hiring  process:     After a candidate applies on a company website (or via any job board).   After a first round interview or screen via phone, video or live.   After a second or third round interview.   Notifying  the candidate  that they  will  or will  not proceed to the next step of the hiring process.     Unfortunately,  even  with  this technology,  the “black hole” of online applications has become a sink hole.  Even  when a candidate has the benefit of an  internal employee referral, introduction to a hiring manager, or  good internal  networking, the  corporate  silence is deafening.     2 Marketing  principles  recognizing  the  long-term  value of a  customer  are ignored with  job  candidates.   The massive impact of customer loyalty is critical to every company, small, medium or large, and carefully measured and tracked. Companies budget huge marketing dollars to attract  and retain  customers  and  build loyalty.  Customer loyalty is  a  critical  element  to generate repeat business,  to  cross-sell or up-sell  products and services,  to establish  competitive differentiation,  and  to generate  word-of-mouth marketing.     Imagine  that  for every position there are 100 applicants, 4 final candidates,  and 1  new hire. What an opportunity to create  â€œraving fans”  rather than  frustrated customers. It’s no wonder sites such as Glassdoor.com are filled with complaints  instead of compliments  about the hiring process.     There are  several  probable causes for this decline in candidate care;  I have two theories.     Employee compensation is not tied to  candidate  satisfaction.   There are two major parties tied to a single hiring process:  recruitment  â€" typically managed by  human resources,  and  the hiring manager. Yet neither are measured or compensated  on  the  post-process  impact on job applicants and candidates.  Candidates try to follow up with e-mails, phone calls,  and LinkedIn messages, yet they are mostly ignored.   Hiring executives are abdicating  to Recruiting and Human Resources.   When I was  a senior  sales team  hiring manager  at Microsoft there were no standard rules or  processes  to notify applicants of their status,  even if they  had  interviewed and  were  in  â€œwait mode.”     However, I was empowered to do what I felt was the right thing; so, my recruiter and I agreed that every applicant would receive a note  of acknowledgement and appreciation. Then,  after  an informational interview or formal interview, each candidate would receive an update.  I sent the finalists a personal e-mail  and my  recruiter sent  e-mails to the others.   I believe that hiring managers  should be responsible for  the brand impact  of their hiring process  and  should  continue to  ask,  â€œWhat  can we do  to improve every candidate’s impression?”   Beyond simple  courtesy notes and  prompt  responses to inquiries, there is so much more that  a company  can do to turn a candidate’s miserable job search  experience  into a “wow factor.”     With small inexpensive actions, a company can stand out as a kind considerate organization. And a great brand. Join Dana  Manciagli’s  Job Search Master Class  now  and get the most comprehensive job search system available! #JSMC #careeradvice  #jobsearch  #jobcandidateexperience  #hiringprocess