Last week, I took to LinkedIn to gather feedback on the job search experience from job seekers past and present. I asked for both the successes and the challenges. Naturally and not surprisingly, many people voiced their frustrations publicly and through private messages.
Here’s a look at the hard-hitting results.
No Communication = No Bueno
We all know communication is an issue with the talent experience overall, and this isn’t something new. What I found absolutely alarming is that a good majority of job seekers are spending tons of time going to in person interviews only to hear * crickets * after taking time away from work or other priorities to visit with a company.
Passing with Zero Feedback
As if lack of communication isn’t enough, a lot of job seekers are going to more than one in person interview, getting a pass, and receiving absolutely zero feedback on why. I know the go to reason is because giving feedback could be a legal concern for organizations. Excuses aside, part of being human in the recruitment process is the ability to provide helpful feedback that gives candidates the right level of closure and things to potentially work on for next time.
Ageism is a Thing
I’m definitely not surprised. My thought is most companies assume the older a person, the more money they need. That might not be the case, and it’s in poor taste to come to those types of conclusions without getting to know the person in an initial conversation. I’m a big fan of speaking to people before I pass judgement, and it’s something I think all recruiters should take more seriously.
New User Signups Just to Apply
My colleague, Ed Newman, talks about this all the time. If you’re doing some high volume applying during your job search, the chances are that you’ve had to create quite a few user accounts (i.e. think usernames and passwords). It’s ridiculous that this is even a requirement. With lots of talk about mirroring the consumer experience, there should be a “guest checkout” option for job applications, just like there’s no reason to create an account when you buy a pair of shoes.
The list goes on and on, but some of the other voiced frustrations include: the self-employed dilemma; bad apple recruiters; being over experienced; the infamous InMail then no response; resume gap discrimination; and lack of sponsorship opportunities for international applicants.
This wouldn’t be a balanced post without sharing a couple of the positives.
Good Recruiters Are Out There
There are some recruiters taking the right approach to talent experience, and people are talking about them. It’s hard to swim upstream when there’s so many bad recruiters floating downstream, but there are some good apples out there.
One Click Apply for the Win
People like one click applications a lot. I’m a big fan too. You shouldn’t have to upload 10 documents, write a two-page essay, fill out hundreds of questions, sign a background check form, and give a blood oath just to say, “Hey, I’m interested in exploring this opportunity!”
When will we learn? When will organizations really begin to feel the repercussions of a crappy talent experience? I feel like we will be talking about this for the foreseeable future, but I’m still hopeful that more improvements (even if they are incremental) are on the horizon.
