Job applications seen as window into organisation's culture
Around a quarter of Australians have admitted that they were turned off from an organisation due to its hiring process, according to a new report.
HiBob's survey among 1,500 Australians revealed that 24% have turned down a job offer because the application process itself was so bad. Another 26% also said they abandoned a job application because the process was "cumbersome."
Among the experiences reported by the respondents who pushed through with their applications are:
- Waiting for weeks for employers to decide after a final interview (34%)
- Overall communication was poor (32%)
- Job offer was rescinded just before they were about to start (25%)
- Their application got lost (21%)
Damien Andreasen, VP APJ, HiBob, said their findings indicate that job application process in some Australian firms isn't perfect.
"Typically, that comes down to companies not having a well-defined hiring process, appropriate buy-in from hiring managers, or the right tools and systems," Andreasen said in a statement.
However, he said he sympathises with organisations, especially large ones, that are managing hundreds of applications for each role.
"Talent acquisition is not easy at scale. Not to mention that applicant volumes are at an all-time high in some sectors, including those that have been affected by economic conditions resulting in reductions in force," Andreasen added.
Hiring process being first impressions
These reported experiences on job applications become even more crucial as employees turn to these processes to get a first impression of an organisation. According to the poll, around a third of respondents consider the application process as:
- An insight into a company's culture (35%)
- One of the main factors when deciding whether to accept a job offer or not (33%)
- The best way to evaluate any potential employer (32%)
The job application process is also another factor employees consider when recommending their employer, according to the report.
Nearly four in 10 employees (39%) said they would be happy to recommend a company to a friend if its job application process was smooth.
"I tend to think workforce planning is the elephant in the room when it comes to hiring," Andreasen said.
"Not having the right data to support the volume, type and timing for each hire will cause significant issues with processes. Ask any HR professional what it's like managing open roles on a spreadsheet with little to no data to support the hiring decision. That's the really painful part of the hiring process."
