Companies could suffer if they don’t follow up with candidates they have interviewed. A new survey from The Conference Board found that 18% of candidates who didn’t hear from a company after a job interview took negative action against them:
- 16% declined to recommend the company to others when the opportunity arose
- 2% left a negative review online
In addition, only 7% of candidates applied for a job at a company where they previously didn’t hear back after an interview.
“It’s important for hiring managers to be aware of the potential consequences of not responding to job candidates, as it can lead to a reduction in the pool of future applicants,” said Rebecca Ray, Executive Vice President, Human Capital, The Conference Board. “To avoid this, hiring managers should make sure to communicate with all candidates in a timely and respectful manner, regardless of the outcome of the hiring process. Even if a candidate is not selected for the current role, they can still be a valuable colleague, client, or customer in the future. By treating all candidates fairly and professionally, hiring managers can help shape the way they think about the company, even if they were not a good fit for the role.”
The survey results revealed several areas for how companies can improve their candidate experience:
- Removing formal education as a requirement when appropriate. Both candidates and hiring managers say work experience is more important than formal education, but many companies still include formal education as a hard requirement for hiring.
- Cutting down on interviews. About half of both hiring managers (47%) and candidates (51%) think only two rounds of interviews are necessary. But almost a quarter (22%) of candidates report having four or more rounds of interviews.
Following up faster. More than half (56%) of companies follow up with candidates in less than two weeks. But, 14% take four or more weeks.
