Candidates Want Simplicity and Status Updates When Applying

3/15/2016
Roy Maurer

The job application process is still a challenge for many candidates, according to research drawn from the 2015 Candidate Experience Awards.

Nearly half of 75,000 candidates surveyed in the process of determining the winners of the CandE Awards—as they are popularly known—said they never received status updates for their application. Additionally, 51 percent rated the overall application process between 1 and 3, with 1 representing a very negative experience and 5 representing a very positive experience.

The awards are given to employers that exemplify the best candidate experience. The research was conducted by Talent Board, a San Diego-based nonprofit organization dedicated to measuring and improving candidate experience. Talent Board’s CandE Awards and the underlying research that results from determining the winners are eagerly anticipated each year.

Application Process of Successful Companies

Consistency and transparency in the application process are what sets successful companies apart from their competitors, said Madeline Laurano, co-founder at Aptitude Research Partners, a Boston-based analyst and advisory firm. “The online application process was originally designed for the recruiter to help manage an influx of applicants. The candidates, on the other hand, find the process to be time-consuming and cumbersome. Not to mention, they [often] receive little to no communication about their status through the process,” she said.

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