Think a Poor Hiring Process Is Harmful? Here’s the Proof

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PunchWe’ve all shared our stories of bad service experiences with friends and family members. It starts after you’ve hung up a customer service call or walked away from a retail organization, miffed and aggravated at the poor treatment you received. No place is immune to these stories — not the doctor’s office, not even Starbucks.

And, here the thing: people have choices after poor service experiences. They can refuse to revisit the establishment. They can tell others about their bad experiences through personal conversations and their far-reaching social media connections.

Experience Matters in All Things

So, what happens when the bad experience is related to hiring ?

One of my colleagues here at Montage shared her story about interviewing with another company. When the hiring manager called to extend the offer, she insulted my colleague in two ways. First, the offer was so low as to be laughable — even though they’d discussed her minimum salary requirements. Second, the hiring manager called her by the wrong name!

Either of these experiences could send a candidate running away quickly. Together, they make for an amusing story at the hiring manager’s expense.

On the other hand, anotheAngryr colleague here shares a very different story. Last year, her husband interviewed for a job and had a great experience. Even though that interview didn’t result in an offer, he exited the hiring process speaking very highly of the company — which happened to be Montage. The experience was so positive he started keeping an eye on our corporate career page. When Montage posted a job that was perfect for his wife, she applied and became part of our team.

These stories are drastically different, yet they reinforce the point that the hiring process itself has widespread ramifications. When the hiring process is done well, people exit the process feeling good, feeling they were treated fairly, and feeling generally very positive about the employing company. Alternatively, when the hiring process is poor, candidates feel just the opposite.

The Tangible Results of a Poor Hiring Experience

Believing that bad hiring processes really can impact your ability to draw top talent, we set out to prove it through outside research. We surveyed 200 individuals who had recently interviewed with a company, asking them first to rate the quality of the hiring process, and then to indicate whether they would recommend the company as an employer to others. The results reinforce our hypothesis:

  • Those who felt the hiring process was poor: 28 percent would recommend the employer to others.
  • Those who felt the hiring process was positive: 89 percent would recommend the employer to others.

The 60 percent difference is purely a reflection of how people felt exiting the hiring process. Talk about powerful feelings!

Bad DayThe interview process is a very personal experience for job candidates. They are sharing and sweating through questions about themselves, their beliefs, their personality traits, and so much more. All too often, companies give them nothing in return. It’s no wonder they exit the process feeling disenchanted.

The companies we work with recognize the importance of a two-way interaction. We and our clients believe in humanizing the hiring process. By using video-interviewing and voice-interviewing technology, candidates can get a very personal look at the company as an employer. They are guided through an interview process that is rich with technology, but also rich with human interaction. The foundation for connection and engagement are there, right from the start.

By Michele Ellner