Candidates hate being candidates
No, I asked them. It's true.
What’s the number one mistake employer branders make when building their LinkedIn content? I know the answer and the (surprisingly easy) solution. And on August 27, at noon Eastern, I’ll share the problems and solutions that are keeping you from having a killer LinkedIn channel.( And yes, if you register, I’ll send you the recording.)
Would you do me a favor and share the link? Either on social or just email it to a co-worker or friend who would value it? Thanks!
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Can we all agree on something?
No one likes looking for a job. It is a grueling process, fraught with fear, uncertainty and doubt, where the stakes are insanely high, where the information flow is purely one way.
Candidates don’t choose to become candidates. They get laid off or fired. They get sick of their toxic boss. They can’t see how they can afford rent next year when salaries increase at a capped 3% and inflation is… more than that. They just feel like they are wasting their time at a company that doesn’t support them.
In short, candidates hate being candidates.
Not one of them, not a single solitary one, likes being a candidate. They are all, to a person, are working very hard to stop being a candidate as soon as humanly possible.
So why do we behave like these candidates enjoy being candidates?
That they should enjoy taking on spec projects to prove their thinking?
That they should love retyping in the exact content of their resume into YOUR tool?
That they should be thrilled to search their spam folders for your default “thanks by no thanks” emails to learn they aren’t “moving forward” in YOUR process?
That they should appreciate that you kept all the interview questions secret until the interview (even when they were the expert in the field)?
If I look at your career site, are you offering candidates the information they need to make a decision? Or the theater of “talking loud and saying nothing”?
Recruiting as a function has built an obstacle course. A gauntlet. It includes hoops to jump through and tricks to complete. And we seem to think candidates should thank us for the privilege.
When I suggest we offer candidates feedback, I get shouted down by recruiting, HR and legal, who talk about the jeopardy it puts the company in if the feedback is legally actionable.
When I suggest we give candidates the questions in advance, I’m told that surprise questions are the way THEY were hired, so it should be good enough for this new crop of candidates.
When I pitch transparency about what the culture is really like, what staff really think, and what the pros AND cons are, I get told to sit down.
We want candidates to give up their personal information, their time, their research, their passion, and their focus and offer them NOTHING in return. (If I sold you a raffle ticket for a car, is that raffle ticket actually worth something? Could you sell it to someone else?)
And all the while, we talk about candidate experience, about having a candidate-first focus. We say we always respond to applications (even though 20-50% of your applicants would disagree). We offer “white glove service.”
But it’s set dressing for a system designed in every possible and conceivable way to be about what we, the company, want. Nothing is about what the candidate wants.
Information I bet YOU would have wanted to know before you applied at your job:
Realistic salary ranges?
The actual cost of health insurance?
% of staff who use their PTO?
How much it costs to park by the office?
How often are promotions doled out?
Do you have a cap on raises?
List all the staff benefits (and what’s available to whom)
The reasons why the last three people were let go (I know I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one)
% of leaders who were promoted from within
% of staff who say, knowing what they know now, they are glad they applied
The worst part is that pretty much every one of those pieces of information is internally available. None of it is legally actionable or material. It’s just a click away.
But we never ever reveal it.
The career experience is so fully rigged in our favor that we even offering one of these things would probably get us a mention in Fast Company.
But we offer none of these things and wonder why candidates (who HATE being candidates) don’t engage with recruiter outreach, drop off the application process halfway through, and ghost us all day.
We have a LOT of work to do to make candidates feel like we want them to succeed and work with us rather than cannon fodder for our ATS-driven “gauntlet.”
So lets start taking this seriously.
Why?
Because the companies that empower candidates to hate being a candidate a little less is the company that will be hiring the best of the best (and doing it cheaper).
🀄 AI is the new grift »
🀄 Generosity is the strategy »
🀄 What to do when you’re overlooked »
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Problem: Your boss put you in a corner and ignores your concerns.
Whether it was getting the “do more with less” talk or telling you to “just get on with it, already” when you say you need more support to achieve their hiring goals, you feel like someone put baby in a corner.
So here’s what you need to do to get a real conversation going. Send you boss this emails:
Boss,
The recruiting structure currently in place will not meet the company’s hiring targets.
Rather than shuffle the cards and hope it turns into a better hand, can we sharpen the saw and talk about what it would take to attract the talent worth hiring? We’ve spent the last X years patching holes in the bucket, and it’s time to talk about what we need in a new bucket.
I’d like for a few hiring managers to join this conversation so that we can get their input and needs, perhaps even giving them the chance to help fund any changes.
Are you in a position to have that conversation?
I can promise you that this is the kind of email that will get your boss’s attention and help them see you differently.
Fully updated with new agencies and a guide to help you make a better choice! Check it out!
Be more informed as you think about building your brand:
Start: Compare 25 employer brand building companies side-by-side. It’s how you make a better decision about who will help you best in your EB journey. It’s free! »
Then: Three case studies that prove how an employer brand can be built in just three weeks. A 250-person manufacturer, a 300-person construction company, and an 800-person video game company. Just hit reply ad we’ll set set up a time to walk you through the case studies and answer questions.
The cost of perfection is inaction.
-Shane Parrish
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