As the founder and co-founder of an executive search and a professional consulting firm, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to plenty of honest feedback from candidates regarding their experience with so many hiring processes. As hiring managers endeavor to find a good fit for their teams, it’s vital to realize that candidates are just as much assessing you. What they are thinking — whether they say it or not — could be a boon or bust for your chances of attracting the right talent.
Here’s an honest look at the concerns that candidates have about hiring, and how addressing these makes the process go smoother and even can help you hire better talent.
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The Role Clear and Accurate Job Descriptions Play
The job description is often a candidate’s first exposure to your company. When the role does not align with what was advertised, candidates feel misled — and that elicits frustration and mistrust. The same goes for if the description is vague or full of industry jargon since this can mislead candidates and make them uncertain about what the job involves.
Solution:
Be clear and specific. Explain the responsibilities, required skills, and success metrics. Don’t use jargon unless you have to. If your candidates are well-informed and better matched, and you have provided the transparency they need to invest in that relationship, it will mean less turnover on your side in the long run.
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It’s Unnecessary and Exhausting to Have a Long Hiring Process
Veteran job searchers are well aware of how long the hiring process can be. While thoroughness matters, dragging out the process can cause candidates to lose interest, particularly when they’re left in the dark about the next steps. It can even tarnish your employer’s brand — candidates might feel that their time is being wasted. There’s little worse than telling a client that a candidate they want to hire has been hired by someone else already because their process was too long.
Solution:
Streamline the process. This means leveraging technology to help reduce redundancy and asking whether each step is really necessary. Efficiency is important to candidates, and a quicker process ensures you’re not only providing a good candidate experience but also helps you stay ahead of your competition in landing top talent.
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It Is No Longer Acceptable to Avoid Candidate Feedback and Follow-up
It’s frustrating enough for candidates to put time, energy, and effort toward applications and interviews to then experience the “black hole” that is silence after they’ve been in the running. If even detailed feedback isn’t attainable, a simple acknowledgment would suffice. Poor communication leaves candidates with the impression that they are not worth the time and effort, which spoils the reputation of your organization.
Solution:
A quick update or even a note to the effect that you respect their time helps immensely. If possible, offer constructive feedback — candidates appreciate it, and it aids in establishing a positive brand image.
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Focus on Competitive Salary and Relevant Benefits
Give the candidate a reason to keep you in mind when they get an offer. The salary and benefits you are offering should be in sync with the experience and skills you are demanding. It’s frustrating for them to see job postings that seek deep expertise but don’t pay commensurately given the work involved.
Solution:
Confirm that your payment package is competitive and matches the experience you need. If the budget is tight, think about whether the skills could be developed on the job as this method allows you to widen your candidate pool without providing exorbitant monetary compensation.
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Company Culture, Flexibility, and Accessibility in Hiring
Do they have a good cultural fit, and how about flexibility — especially now? Strict rules, such as needing to work in an office when a job could be performed remotely, can deter high-quality candidates. The same goes for candidates who need accommodation and may be reluctant to ask if they don’t see accessibility valued.
Solution:
Be receptive to flexible work arrangements and showcase this in your job postings. Ensure that your hiring process is accessible to all individuals — provide accommodations as needed and make your technology and processes as inclusive as possible. This enables you to reach a broader, more diverse range of candidates.
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Candidates Want a Straightforward Path to Advancement
Candidates are searching for positions for growth opportunities. A lack of a distinct career path or professional development opportunities can be a major red flag for ambitious talent when exploring a new opportunity. Candidates want to know how they can thrive and grow in your organization.
Solution:
Be transparent about potential paths for growth during job postings and the interviewing process. Emphasize opportunities for professional growth, mentorship, and internal advancement. A clear career path is a strong selling point for attracting long-term, mission-driven talent.
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Are You Hurting Your Search Efforts and Your Company’s Reputation by Blindly Trusting Your ATS?
For loads of candidates, it’s annoying when their resumes and applications get filtered out by an ATS based on rigid keyword matching. Even if their skills and experience are aligned with the position, the ATS could still deny their resume if it didn’t have the same exact words because of the way the framework is designed to process. This can cause candidates to feel their hard work is falling on deaf ears and create a negative perspective of the organization itself. “Computer fail” is not ideal for sounding the candidates out, that is the whole point of the interview and to make a connection, businesses can’t lose the personal and professional connection when candidates are seeking jobs.
Hiring Manager Perspective → Another pitfall for hiring managers is the lack of time, leading them to skip resumes and search for keywords with ATS → AI software that many HR departments use to screen job applications. Streamlining the application process, tracking the effectiveness of the applicant tracking system (ATS), and automating candidate communications (such as timely notifications) can significantly increase the candidate experience and pull in the best-fit candidates.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
As recruiters and hiring managers, it’s very easy to think about only evaluating your candidates, however, it’s also important for you to think about how candidates are evaluating you. The concerns I’ve outlined today are not unique — but they’re also addressable. You can strengthen your hiring process, create a better image of your company, and attract better candidates by addressing these weaknesses.
Hiring isn’t just about which candidates best fit your company; it’s about making sure the entire experience casts your company positively. Clear communication, competitive compensation, flexibility, and growth opportunities can help not only make your hiring efforts more successful but also enhance your employer brand. Hiring, after all, is a two-way street. And the feedback you don’t want to hear might be just what you need to build a more effective, candidate-friendly process.