5 Ways Employers Bungle the Hiring Process Without Realizing It

More than half of employers admit it’s grown increasingly difficult to find qualified talent in the last five years, according to CareerBuilder’s 2015 Candidate Behavior Study, examining responses from 2,002 hiring managers across the U.S.

The shrinking pool of great talent to draw from could be due to mistakes employers unknowingly make that drive away superstar talent. The best employees don’t settle, and sometimes one bad experience during the hiring process causes them to walk away.

Here are a few pet peeves that drive away great talent:

1. Insufficient online presence.

Nearly half of candidates want to research an organization before applying and nearly 68 percent spent two hours doing so, according to The Talent Board’s 2014 Candidate Experience Report. About 42 percent wanted to learn about company values, about 40 percent searched for what the company offers and 33 percent check out employee testimonials.

Candidates want to know all about the company to help them decide if it’s a good fit for them. Keep a company blog and post frequently on social media to give job seekers insight into what it’s like to work at the company.

2. A drawn-out process.

The interview process is getting longer -- 22.9 days, according to a recent survey by Glassdoor. Yet, CareerBuilder found 58 percent of employers don't communicate with applicants about how long the interview or application process will take.

Communicate to applicants upfront what they can expect from the hiring process. Provide an agenda that explains the steps of the process, including how long applications should take and how long each interview will run. Also, give applicants tips to help them better prepare for the process so it doesn’t take longer than needed.

3. A long wait for a job offer.

For 38 percent of employers, it takes more than three days after the interview to extend a job offer to a candidate, CareerBuilder found.

Candidates are often interviewing with more than one company,and there’s likely nothing stopping them from taking the first offer they receive. Refine the interview and evaluation process so, once a decision is made, an offer can be extended quickly.

4. A poor job offer.

Employers from CareerBuilder’s survey said 18 percent of candidates, on average, reject the initial job offer and negotiate for a better one. Making a mediocre or poor job offer is a sure way to signal to a star candidate they won’t really be valued.

To hook the best talent, provide a competitive offer. Superstar candidates with niche skill sets know they don’t have to settle for less. They’ll easily go to another employer who meets their needs.

5. An overall bad experience.

Sometimes, it’s the little things that lead to an overall bad application experience. For example, 60 percent of candidates received generic job rejection emails after applying and 56 percent received no feedback at all, Jobvite found in its 2014 survey of 95,000 job candidates.

Employers should be more conscious of how they part ways with candidates to protect their employer brand. Letting rejected candidates down gracefully is essential because they’ll likely tell others about their experience. In fact, 51 percent of candidates share good hiring experiences on social media and 34 percent share bad hiring experiences, according to Jobvite.

Use a tool like CareerGift to help manage and learn honest feedback from candidate experiences. Use feedback from candidates to refine hiring methods so future candidates can have a better experience.