Articles

It should be Candidate Experience Day every day for all job candidates.

But it’s not.

Even in a strong candidate market, one we’ve been in for the past year, too many candidates just aren’t experiencing positive communication and feedback loops, or even closure if it’s the end of the road for them.

However, there are companies that do improve their recruiting, hiring, and their candidate experience for external and internal candidates, and many of those participate in our annual benchmark research and have above average candidate experience ratings.

We’re currently writing our 2022 benchmark research reports that will be available at the end of the year and early 2023 (you can pre-register here), and what we’ve found is that current employees who were candidates looking for other opportunities at the same company have a 40% greater positive candidate experience than all other candidate populations combined in our research. For past employees applying again at companies where they have previously worked, they have a 7% greater positive candidate experience than all other candidate populations combined. Smaller, but still a positive difference.

With layoffs increasing, especially in the tech sector, more candidates will be looking for work, and we bet next year the past employee candidate experience ratings mentioned above will be lower if they try to get rehired. The only thing any candidate ever wants is to get the job, and keep it, and most candidates won’t for any given job they’re interested in. There are still more jobs than candidates in today’s market, but if that changes in 2023, then it will be tough, especially for those who are laid off.

Talent Board doesn’t track the experience for laid off employees, but we do have some insight from the comments we receive from all candidates. When we search our comments for keywords like “layoffs” or “laid off”, these are some of the themes (mostly from tech company candidates):

• My employment gaps from being laid off perceived as very negative, even those from years ago.
• I got the job and then immediately was laid off with no warning.
• I was interested in another position internally but was laid off prior to being considered.
• I had the unfortunate timing of being interviewed when a big round of layoffs was announced.
• I got hired and had a good candidate experience, but then layoffs started that were unexpected and challenging, and I can no longer refer others to apply now.
• I loved my job on day one. Then there were mass layoffs, and I lost my job without warning, and it sucked.

“I loved my job from day one.”

Being laid off sucks. I’ve been there and have had to lay off. If you know people who have been laid off, please help connect them to other employers in your networks that are hiring and lend your ears and your hearts to mentor those who need advice.

No matter what happens in 2023, Talent Board implores employers to improve their communication and feedback loops and ensure all candidates (and employees) are given empathic and timely closure if they’re not going to get the job (or keep it).

Therefore, we want employers, recruiting professionals, recruiting technology providers, and candidates to share their positive candidate experience stories, quotes, pictures, tips, memes, and more across all social media channels on January 25, 2023, using the hashtags #CandExperienceDay2023 and #TheCandEs.

Because more and more of us are going to need them.

We’ve celebrated Candidate Experience Day for the past few years to kick off our next benchmark research program year, and we hope you join us January 25, 2023.

Be safe and well.

Kevin Grossman, Talent Board President