Why CEOs & Executive Team Should Care About Their Company's Hiring Process

I have always wondered why so many of the HR professionals that we work with struggle getting approval for a simple piece of software like ApplicantPro, that costs less than their boss probably spends on golf each month. I had a bit of an epiphany recently that brought some of the answers to this phenomenon into perspective. Simply put, the pain of managing the hiring process is generally not felt at the C-level, or more importantly, they aren't recognizing that beyond just wasting HR's time, their ineffective hiring process is actually harming their company's bottom line and growth.

Lack of follow-up with job seekers is doing more than just harming your future talent pool

With that, I'm on a mission to help bring the true business pains of a poor hiring process to the light of day, by converting HR pains into business pains that will get the attention of your executive team. Below is the first of many examples to come.

HR PAIN: Too Many Applicants to Respond to

HR always seems to say they are too busy. They are probably right. One of their answers has been to cut corners when it comes to following up with job seekers, creating what job seekers refer to as the "application black hole", or in their own words, "I apply, but never hear back; I wonder if anyone even works there."

The general rule of thumb for most HR departments is: if you apply for a job with us, and we bring you in for an interview, we most likely will let you know if you didn't get the job. But, if you aren't qualified enough for an interview (the majority of applicants aren't) then you will never hear anything from us. Seems reasonable enough, you aren't qualified, you shouldn't have applied, so I'm not going to respond to your resume/application.

I'll cut HR some slack on this, I challenge any executive out there to find the time in their day to personally respond to the hundreds or even thousands of resumes/applications that the average HR department receives on a monthly basis. There are some pretty easy and cheap ways to solve this problem, but your HR department hasn't figured out how to ask you for the money, or doesn't feel that it is in their budget.

BUSINESS PAIN: Lack of Follow Up Harms Talent Pool & FUTURE REVENUE

Unfortunately for business executives, your HR department's lack of follow-up with job seekers is doing more than just harming your future talent pool. It could actually be driving away potential customers.

A CareerBuilder survey showed that 82% of job seekers, regardless of their qualifications for a position, still expect that an employer will let them know if they aren't being considered, yet 75% of job applicants say they never hear back after applying for jobs. Job seekers say that this lack of communication will cause them not to apply for future jobs, and to tell their friends not to apply either.

Lack of communication will cause them not to apply for future jobs, and to tell their friends not to apply either"

But the survey points out a more important issue that company executives should take note of: 32% of these job seekers are less inclined to purchase from a company that failed to respond to their job application, and 9% will tell others not to buy either. That's right, the next time they hear your company name, that bad taste will still be in their mouth.

Seems pretty clear to me, it is in a company's best interest to ensure that every applicant gets at least a confirmation email when they submit their interest in a position, and a rejection email when we decide that we are no longer considering them.

THE SOLUTION: A Shameless Plug

You are here reading my blog, so I get to plug my software. ApplicantPro makes applicant communication a snap. From the first time a job seeker lands on your careers site, until the time when they start on the job, our platform can automate and streamline the entire communication process. New job alerts, in-complete application reminders, confirmation emails, rejection emails, and even new hire paperwork can be sent directly from our system.

THE NEXT STEPS:

If you are in HR, forward this blog post to your boss, and then re-submit that request for an Applicant Tracking System with an emphasis on how it will automate the applicant follow up process.

If you are a CEO or Executive, forward this blog post to your HR manager, and tell them that you are more than happy to spend a small amount each month for a system like ApplicantPro.

Want to learn more? Sign up for one of our free HRCI continuing education webinars on this and other hiring topics.