40 Notable Candidate Experience Statistics: 2024 Job Application Trends & Challenges

It’s a fact that a company’s greatest asset is its employees. This is why many companies compete to hire the best candidates. Employers even use tools like HR software and other platforms to get the job done. It’s now but a question of, how do you attract the best people to apply and work for your organization? The answer is to focus on building a positive candidate experience. Based on candidate experience statistics, 75% of professionals currently working in their companies were influenced to accept the job offer because of the positive candidate experience they had throughout the application process.

To learn more about the impact of candidate experience on hiring and retaining employees, we’ll take a look at various data points like candidate engagement statistics and the expectations of job seekers. Also included in the article are some of the challenges that companies and job seekers face today in the job application process.

The State of Job Application Statistics

There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic changed hiring needs—some industries experienced a decline in hiring while others needed more talent. The good news is many companies believe that hiring demand will bounce back and might even exceed pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, in terms of job search and applications, candidates today are still relying on company websites and job boards to find their dream job. Once they submit their application, the majority of candidates estimate that they’ll get a job offer within 1 to 2 weeks, but the numbers show that getting hired can actually take as long as 5.5 weeks.

• 76% of companies predict hiring demand in 2021 will approach, return to, or even exceed pre-pandemic levels (Careerarc, 2021).
• 51% of Americans believe job growth will increase under the Biden presidency. Meanwhile, 28% say it will decrease under the new administration, and 21% predict a neutral impact (Careerarc, 2021).
• 61% of full-time employees in the United States are seeking new jobs in 2021 (Careerarc, 2021).
• The most popular destinations for people to look for job offers are company websites (24.82%), job boards (24.54%), referrals (23.43%), and social media (12.7%) (Duszynski, 2021).
• However, 88% of job seekers are concerned about the lack of jobs in their field (Careerarc, 2021).
• In addition, 68% of those who expressed concern attributes the lack of jobs to the continued impact of COVID-19 on the economy (Careerarc, 2021).

Candidate Expectations

• 82% consider employer brand and reputation before applying for a job—a 7% increase in the past five years (Careerarc, 2021).
• Job seekers use many resources to research and perform background checks on their prospective employers, including company websites (31%), review sites (28%), and insight from current/former employees (23%) (Duszynski, 2021).
• Moreover, 43% of job seekers spend 1 to 2 hours researching about your company before engaging in a job search (Talentegy, 2019).
• Statistics also show that men are willing to spend 15 minutes more (125 minutes) than women (110 minutes) when submitting their job applications (Duszynski, 2021).
• 55% of candidates believe that it should take 1 to 2 weeks from the first interview to being offered the job (Duszynski, 2021).
• Additionally, candidates would like to get a job offer in 1 or 2 weeks after the first interview. In reality, it takes 5.5 weeks (Duszynski, 2021).
• What is more, 53% of job seekers say discovering evidence that a prospective employer would offer poor or less work-life balance would immediately dissuade them from applying to that company (Careerarc, 2021).

Diversity in the Workplace

• 83% of job candidates agree that diversity in the workplace is important enough to be a consideration when deciding whether to accept a job (Yello, n.d.)
• 70% of employees go as far as saying they’d consider looking for a new job if their employer didn’t demonstrate a commitment to promoting a diverse workplace (Yello, n.d.)
• 26% of job seekers say that an employer’s stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion would make them more likely to apply to that company (Careerarc, 2021).
• 63% of job seekers say they check social media for employee and consumer comments about workforce diversity, or lack thereof, at a company (Careerarc, 2021).

Reviews and Feedback 

Reviews about your company are also an important factor in creating a positive candidate experience. This is because the majority of job seekers say they will leave a negative review if they had a negative experience. These can influence other applicants when deciding whether they’ll pursue your job post or not.

• 82% of job seekers would share a positive candidate experience versus 69% who would share a negative candidate experience (Talentegy, 2019).
• 55% 0f job seekers will no longer pursue an application if they read negative employee reviews online about the company (Robinson, 2019).

Social Recruiting Is Thriving 

An interesting finding is that many recruitment professionals are now turning to social recruiting or the use of social media as a top recruitment channel. This can be seen as a mismatch since we learned that most job seekers go to company websites to do their job search.

• 35% of employers increased their social recruiting efforts in 2020 (Careerarc, 2021).
• Furthermore, 92% of employers use social and professional networks to recruit talent, ranking above employer referrals (87%), job boards (82%), and job ads (72%) (Careerarc, 2021).
• On the flip side, 86% of job seekers use social media in their job search and have viewed, searched for, applied to, and engaged with job- and employment-related social media content and/or reached out to contacts and recruiters about jobs on social media (Careerarc, 2021).
• 59% of recruiters rated candidates sourced through social media as of “highest quality” (Jobvite, 2021).
• Also, 89% of recruiters say they have hired someone off of LinkedIn (Edgar, 2020).

Technology’s Role in Candidate Experience

Technology aids companies in their recruitment process; however, it can also be a source of frustration for the applicants, especially when they encounter technical problems while applying. Unfortunately, not many companies offer technical support, which leads to a negative candidate experience.

• Technologies, where global companies plan to invest in to improve recruiting, include video job description (65%), job description optimization (55%), text-based recruiting (48%), predictive analytics (31%), interview scheduling (29%) (Talent Board, 2020).
• 56% of job applicants encountered a technical issue during the application process (Talentegy, 2019).
• Lastly, among those who encountered a technical problem, only 18.7% said they were offered help online via chat or feedback tools. And only 52.7% rated the support as somewhat useful (Talentegy, 2019).

What Makes a Great Candidate Experience

Based on a candidate experience research report, a positive candidate experience starts from the moment a job seeker decides to apply. If your company is hiring, make sure to keep your application process short as over half of applicants will easily abandon their submission if forms or requirements take too long or are too complex.

• 75% of people currently working at companies where they had a positive candidate experience during the hiring process said that positive candidate experience influenced their decision to accept the offer (Echevarria, 2020).
• 60% of job seekers abandon the application process if it takes too long or is too complex (Csedrik, 2019).
• Additionally, 83% of candidates say it would greatly improve the overall experience if employers provided a clear timeline of the hiring process (Miller, n.d.).
• When applying, job seekers find these things most valuable during the application process: An understanding of how-to follow-up on an application (94.9%), the ability to find information on culture and benefits (93.5%), clear instructions on how to get help (85.1%), employee testimonials (73.6%), video content about the job or company (54.6%), the use of a chatbot or chat capability (25.9%) (Talentegy, 2019).
• 32% of respondents expected to be informed about compensation in the initial job post (Echevarria, 2020).
• 30% of job seekers ranked responsiveness after they apply as most important to them when it comes to candidate experience (Echevarria, 2020).
• However, 75% were never or rarely asked for feedback after applying (Talentegy, 2019).

Challenges in the Job Application Process Statistics

There are many challenges facing recruiters and job applicants. Aside from technical issues that negatively impact candidate experience, communication also seems to be a big challenge to companies.

• 63% of candidates say most employers do not communicate adequately (Talent Board, 2020).
• 53% of applicants said they did not receive a response from employers until 3 months after applying (Talent Board, 2020).
• 53% of job seekers cited poor or diminishing employer brand and reputation as one of the reasons for leaving a previous job. Meanwhile, 20% said it was the main reason why they left (Careerarc, 2021).

Moreover, retaining good talent is also a challenge faced by many employers. There can be varying reasons why employees leave, but a clear one is poor candidate experience.

• 50% of job seekers surveyed had declined a job offer due to poor candidate experience (Echevarria, 2020).
• 28% of new hires quit in the first 90 days (Echevarria, 2020).
• Lastly, 39% of companies believe at least one in five in their workforce are currently looking for new jobs at other companies (Careerarc, 2021).

How does candidate feedback impact the hiring process?

Gathering and analyzing candidate feedback is essential for improving the hiring process and enhancing the overall candidate experience. Feedback can offer insights into the application process, help identify pain points, and allow organizations to make data-driven improvements. Here’s how candidate feedback can be beneficial:

• Identify Areas for Process Improvement
  Candidate feedback can reveal specific steps within the application process that are confusing, time-consuming, or frustrating. For example, lengthy forms, unclear instructions, or repetitive tasks may deter applicants. Gathering insights can help streamline and simplify these areas, making the application process smoother and more appealing.
• Enhance Communication and Engagement
  Candidates often cite a lack of timely updates as a negative experience factor. By analyzing feedback on communication frequency and content, employers can adjust how they engage with candidates—such as providing more frequent status updates or setting clear expectations regarding response times.
• Refine Employer Brand Perception
  Candidate feedback provides a window into how the organization’s culture and values are perceived by job seekers. If candidates express concerns about issues like inclusivity or company values, employers can use this information to adjust messaging, workplace culture, and branding efforts.
• Improve Onboarding and Retention Rates
  By addressing feedback from the hiring process, companies can set a strong foundation for employee satisfaction, as positive candidate experiences can lead to smoother onboarding and increased retention. Candidates who felt valued during the application process are often more committed and engaged as employees.
• Establish a Continuous Improvement Cycle
  Regularly collecting and acting on candidate feedback helps create a culture of continuous improvement in recruitment. Organizations that prioritize feedback are more agile in adapting to candidate needs and expectations, which can result in attracting higher-quality talent over time.

Improve Hiring Processes to Boost Candidate Experience

So does candidate experience matter? The statistics tell us that they do! In fact, candidate experience is a key recruitment factor now being used by companies. Focusing on your organization’s strategies to improve candidate experience can surely pay off. Not only will you be able to attract great talent from the very start of the application process but also increase the chances of a candidate accepting your job offer.

As we’ve mentioned, it is important to first understand what makes a great candidate experience. Start by considering the things that are most valuable to job seekers during the application process and understand what they want out of a company. After which, try incorporating these into your own recruitment approach. Also, part of creating a positive experience is communicating with the applicants. As we cited, it’s important to stay in touch with candidates about the status of their application and do it promptly as much as possible.

Investing in the right technology can also help improve your job application process—and consequently, the overall positive candidate experience job seekers will have with your company. Our article on recruitment statistics can help you catch up with the latest on HR tech and how companies are using them in their recruitment efforts.

Key Insights

• Impact of Candidate Experience: 75% of professionals accepted job offers due to positive candidate experiences during the application process.
• Job Search Preferences: The majority of candidates use company websites (24.82%) and job boards (24.54%) to find job opportunities, followed by referrals (23.43%) and social media (12.7%).
• Employer Reputation: 82% of job seekers consider employer brand and reputation before applying for a job.
• Diversity Importance: 83% of job candidates consider workplace diversity crucial, and 70% would consider leaving if their employer did not promote diversity.
• Influence of Reviews: Negative reviews can significantly deter candidates, with 55% of job seekers abandoning applications due to negative employee reviews online.
• Social Recruiting: 92% of employers use social and professional networks for recruitment, with LinkedIn being a highly successful platform.
• Technological Challenges: 56% of job applicants face technical issues during the application process, and only 18.7% receive adequate technical support.
• Application Process: 60% of job seekers abandon lengthy or complex application processes, emphasizing the need for streamlined and user-friendly systems.
• Communication: 63% of candidates feel that employers do not communicate adequately during the hiring process.
• Retention Issues: Poor candidate experience leads to high turnover, with 50% of job seekers declining offers and 28% of new hires quitting within the first 90 days.

FAQ

1. What is candidate experience and why is it important? Candidate experience refers to the perceptions and feelings of job applicants throughout the hiring process. A positive candidate experience is crucial as it influences a candidate’s decision to accept a job offer and can impact a company’s reputation and ability to attract top talent.
2. How does a company’s reputation affect job seekers? A company’s reputation significantly affects job seekers, with 82% considering it before applying. Negative reviews or a poor reputation can deter candidates, with many abandoning applications if they encounter negative feedback about the employer online.
3. What role does technology play in candidate experience? Technology plays a dual role in candidate experience. While it can streamline the application process through tools like video job descriptions and predictive analytics, technical issues and lack of support can frustrate applicants and lead to negative experiences.
4. Why is diversity important in the workplace for job candidates? Diversity is essential as it reflects an inclusive and equitable work environment. 83% of job candidates consider diversity crucial, and 70% would consider leaving if their employer did not promote diversity, indicating its impact on job satisfaction and retention.
5. How can employers improve communication during the hiring process? Employers can improve communication by providing timely updates on application statuses, offering clear instructions and timelines, and actively engaging with candidates. Effective communication helps build trust and enhances the overall candidate experience.
6. What are the common challenges faced by job seekers during the application process? Common challenges include technical issues, lack of communication from employers, lengthy or complex application forms, and unclear instructions. These challenges can lead to frustration and abandonment of applications.
7. How does candidate experience impact employee retention? A poor candidate experience can lead to high turnover rates, with many new hires quitting within the first 90 days. Positive experiences during the hiring process contribute to higher job satisfaction and longer employee retention.
8. What strategies can companies use to enhance candidate experience? Companies can enhance candidate experience by simplifying application processes, investing in user-friendly technology, providing clear communication and support, maintaining a positive employer brand, and promoting workplace diversity and inclusion.

References:

1. Careerarc (2021). 2021 Future of Recrruiting. Retrieved from Careerarc
2. Csedrik (2019). Companies Get The Short End Of The Stick With Long Hiring Processes. Retrieved from WayUp
3. Duszynski (2021). Candidate Experience Statistics. Retrieved from Zety
4. Echevarria (2020). 2020 Candidate Experience Report. Retrieved from Career Plug
5. Edgar (2020). The Social Recruiting Pocket Guide. Retrieved from Social Meep
6. Jobvite (2021). 2021 Job Seeker Nation Report. Retrieved from Jobvite
7. Miller (n.d.). Candidate Experience And Engagement Metrics You Should Be Tracking. Retrieved from Conveyiq
8. Robinson (2019). More Than Half of Job Seekers Say They Wouldn’t Apply to a Company with Bad Online Reviews. Retrieved from Inc.
9. Talent Board (2020). The 2020 Candidate Experience (CandE) Global Research. Retrieved from Talent Board
10. Talentegy (2019). Candidate Experience Report. Retrieved from Talentegy
11. Yello (n.d.). Diversity in the Workplace Statistics: Job Seeker Survey Reveals What Matters. Retrieved from Yello

By Louie Andre

B2B & SaaS market analyst and senior writer for FinancesOnline. He is most interested in project management solutions, believing all businesses are a work in progress. From pitch deck to exit strategy, he is no stranger to project business hiccups and essentials. He has been involved in a few internet startups including a digital route planner for a triple A affiliate. His advice to vendors and users alike? "Think of benefits, not features."