Bad recruitment practices can have such a significant and negative impact on both job seekers and employers. Some of the recurring issues we’ve heard of could be so easily fixed, inclusive of:

1. Lack of communication: For candidates this frequently takes the form of not receiving acknowledgement or updates on the status of an application, or not getting any feedback after an interview. For hiring managers, it may be frustrations in not getting updates from their recruitment partners regarding talent pipelines or lack of market feedback that is impacting talent flows, or candidates who enter into a hiring process and then “disappear”.

2. Unprofessional behavior: There are many anecdotes of interviewers being disrespectful, not being prepared for interviews, or making inappropriate comments or requests. Candidates can be just as guilty for a range of reasons inclusive of sharing inappropriate or market sensitive information, arriving late for interview bookings, not being prepared for interviews, using rude or unprofessional language.

3. Poor job descriptions: Vague or misleading job descriptions can lead to confusion and frustration for applicants. If the job description does not accurately reflect the role or the requirements, it can waste both the applicant's and the employer's time. And candidates who focus on the task elements of traditional job descriptions rather than making sure they understand cultural, performance and political dynamics for a role, are also at risk of taking roles that don’t set them up for success.

4. Lengthy recruitment processes: Excessively long recruitment processes can be discouraging for candidates. If there are too many rounds of interviews or if the hiring decision takes an unreasonably long time, it can result in qualified candidates withdrawing their applications or accepting other job offers. It certainly makes a mockery of a company’s claim to be dynamic.

5. Lack of transparency: This is especially vital during the recruitment process. Candidates should have a clear understanding of the selection criteria, the stages involved, and the timeline. Without transparency, candidates may feel uncertain and frustrated.

6. Bias and discrimination: Discrimination based on factors such as gender, race, age, or disability is not only unethical but also illegal in many jurisdictions. Unfortunately, some recruitment processes may be influenced by biases that can disadvantage certain candidates.

If you have experienced any of these issues or other problems with a recruitment process, it may be worth providing feedback to the relevant parties.  With luck your feedback could help employers and recruiters improve their processes and create a better experience for future applicants, although I’m mindful that many candidates may not wish to “burn bridges” for future job vacancies with a company.  I’ve noticed a clear trend for frustrated job seekers to publicly “name and shame” the companies who’ve provided, in their own opinions, a poor candidate experience. Whilst this might certainly give the job seeker some sense of vindication, they need to be mindful that other potential employers may view this as “trouble making”, especially when the tone of public post is spiteful.

And although it would also be invaluable to provide feedback to candidates who are not progressing, this can be a legal minefield, so employers understandably tend to be risk adverse to do this. 

For sure, in this day and age of high connectivity and an ability for individuals to communicate with others en-masse, hiring companies really cannot afford to continue with bad recruitment processes, especially when the fixes are free to effect.