Want to have a better brand in the eyes of the public and candidates? According to a study by Web Recruit LTD, if your organization responds to candidates’ applications within 2-3 business days, if they are being considered for the position, 35% will think this is acceptable. Another 40% of candidates are a little bit more patient and want to know if they are being shortlisted within 5 business days. With free applicant tracking systems and smart phone apps, there is no reason an organization cannot meet the expectations of 88% of applicants for strategic roles just by responding within 2-3 business days.
So why should we respond when we are so busy? Think of all the effort that candidates go through; researching an organization, networking to find out if your organization is worth working for, writing a resume, and going through your application system. For those currently employed and people with families, this time and effort is worth an acknowledgement. Even those who are unemployed or with no families, their time is also important.
Keep in mind that not acknowledging an application can really damage an organization’s brand and reputation. With employer rating sites (which I blogged about last week), Facebook, Twitter and old fashion word of mouth, if an organization does not at least use an email Auto responder, the damage can spread like wildfire. A second study with 2000 respondents= found that 77% of job seekers think less of a company that doesn’t respond to their job application, and most will not recommend or speak positively about that company again.
Do the math, how many applicants does your organization receive a year? What is your time to respond and time to shortlist? It is pretty shocking that your organization could be turning off hundreds if not thousands of people. Red Seal Recruiting needs to do a better job of this as we currently respond to each application within 24 hours with a personal email, but we do not shortlist and inform candidates quickly enough. We better make this a December resolution, not a New Year’s resolution!