What does your interview process say about you? Are you guilty of not responding to candidates because you 'don't have time?' Do you forget to follow up with people you have interviewed to let them know they didn't make the cut? We all like to avoid having these rather unpleasant discussions however, not doing this can be extremely damaging to your reputation, both now and in the future.
The 2015 Talent Trends Report provides some very interesting insights into what job seekers value during the application and interview process. In knowing this information, it may help you to successfully attract, engage with and recruit quality candidates in the future.
The interview experience has a major impact on a job seekers final decision.
83% of job seekers say a negative interview can change their mind about a role or company they liked.
87% of job seekers say a positive interview can change their mind about a role or company they doubted.
So what matters to job seekers during the interview experience?
Who they want to meet on interview day:
The prospective manager 72%
A team member 11%
An executive 6%
A Recruiter 5%
Don’t know 2%
What makes a great interview experience?
Receiving post-interview follow-up 55%
Getting business questions answered 52%
Experiencing company culture 49%
Having a conversation with the leadership team 44%
Having clear logistics (time, location) in advance 38%
When they want to hear from you;
When you have an update 59%
Periodically, even if there is nothing new to share 44%
When extending an offer 38%
When you decline to offer the position 38%
77% of professionals want to hear good news by phone.
65% of professionals want to hear bad news by email.
94% of job seekers want to receive interview feedback.
This highlights just how important it is to have a robust, transparent interview process and an uncompromising policy of updating candidates on the outcome of their application. Many organisations don't bother to send an update email as they run out of time. Perhaps it is time to invest in a candidate management system that allows you to send these notifications at the touch of a button!