Why creating a positive applicant experience matters

Over a month ago, I read an inspiring story on the recruitment process from Virgin Group founder Richard Branson. Back in 1998, he wrote a letter to an unsuccessful applicant for a cabin crew position, explaining how she should not be discouraged from reapplying with Virgin or another airline in future. Branson revealed he used to send the letter along with a voucher to anybody who did not succeed in a cabin crew interview.

“Companies should treat all people well,” he explained, “staff, customers, those applying for jobs, those who have only just heard about the company. You never know when your paths will cross in the future. Plus, if everybody treated everybody else how they would wish to be treated, the world would be a better place.”

Years later, the applicant ended up being Branson’s personal assistant.

This personal anecdote seems particularly relevant now that CareerBuilder Canada just released a survey on five money-saving opportunities employers may be missing out on, among which are: creating a positive applicant experience.

The study shows that 23% of candidates who have a bad experience applying for a job with a company are likely to post about it online, 38% of them are likely to stop purchasing from the company and 33% are less likely to purchase from the company.

As Mark Bania, Managing Director of CareerBuilder Canada points out: “Companies might not realize the impact it has on their business when they don’t respond to job candidates or fail to update them on the status of their applications. Not only do candidates share these negative experiences on social media, but they are less likely to do business with the company in the future. So not only do employers risk losing potential customers, but they may be hurting their brand as well.”

It is no surprise that job sites such as Glassdoor have become extremely popular when you think about how employer brand is now critical to success. More and more candidates do not just need a job, they also want to fit in a corporate culture and be part of something bigger they adhere to. And if you’re treated badly as an applicant, chances are you won’t even be regretting the position you just missed that much…