1. 1
What Inspires Me
The Candidate Experience:
Lessons Learned
The Best Way to Handle the Fork in the Road

2. Argentina
Australia
Brazil
China
India
Israel
Japan
New Orleans
New Zealand
Russia
UK
Uruguay

4. Noah applied to
100 Best
Companies
recently.

5. 2003 - Vinnie Boombotz
Credit and Collections Supervisor
2004 - Gold E. Locks
Marketing Assistant
2005 - Josh Randall
Recruiting Team Leader
2006 – Ted E. Baer
Administrative Assistant
2007 – Morris (M.R.) Goodbar
MBA Graduate
2008 – James (Jim) Knee Cricket
Sales
2009 – William B. Baggins
Accounting
2010 – Jack Coostow
Environmental Technician
2011 – Chris Kringle
Security Systems Programmer
2012 – Charles Brown
Marketing Assistant
2013 – Noah Z. Ark
Accountant

6. 17,500
Candidates
Complete
Survey

8. Lesson Learned #1
Calibrate Everything

9. Advice Center:
Great concept

10. “How we hire.”
Worldclass.
No one is as
thorough,
transparent and
clear.
10

11. Lesson # 4 – “Speak Clearly”
Lesson Learned #2
“The Medium is [a] Message”

12. Engaging AND
informative. FB
integration
*

13. ...TEXT, call
or chat with
recruiters?
...CHECK their
resume STATUS?
...APPLY for a job with a
previously saved profile?
36%
10.0%
32%
Source: CareerXroads survey, January, 2013
...search for
new jobs?
48.8%
...do NONE
of the above?
53.4%

14. Candidate job search engagement
through connections and
relationships on social media are
significant
and growing.
Source: theCandEs.org, 2013
Employers use…
Online
Candidates see…

15. Lesson Learned #3
There is a Silver Bullet

16. Referred
Candidates are
more likely than
Non-referred
Candidates
to receive an offer. Source: theCandEs.org, 2013
50% of candidates
are NOT aware you
have an Employee
Referral Program.
You already
know who your
employees
know

19. Lesson Learned #4
Disclosure isn’t an option

20. 20

21. How frequently does this position come open?
What is the profile of the last person
to compete successfully for this position?
What happened to the previous incumbent?
What is ‘fit’?
How many people [like me] left,
were promoted, etc. last year?

24. Gamification =
Convergence of Assessment, Selection and Simulation

25. Lesson Learned #5
“Can You Hear Me Now”

26. Disney PepsiCo
GE AbbVie
“Your best new grad in the last 2-3 years”

27. “We ask job seekers
at later phases
of the recruiting
process.”
78.8%
EMPLOYERS
“Do you listen when candidates APPLY?”
9.5%
CANDIDATES
Source: theCandEs.org, 2012
15.2%
“We ask via ‘pop-up’
survey before
they begin.”
6.1%
“We also
ask those
who abandon
the application.”

29. “Do you listen to the finalists?”
20% of the
Finalists
Agreed
Source: theCandEs.org, 2012
63.3%
36.7%
Employers said…

30. Lesson Learned #6
Measuring success alone misses the mark.
Yes No
HR Error 404. The job you applied for cannot
be found or, doesn’t really exist.
Would you prefer a glass of wine instead?

31. 31
…our online application can be completed in less than two minutes.
…all candidates…reviewed and communicated…1-20 days.
Deliver What You Promise

32. 43.7%
POSITIVE
Source: theCandEs.org, 2012
“How do you rate your company’s ability
to communicate with unqualified candidates?”
EMPLOYERS
45.9%
NEUTRAL
10.4%
NEGATIVE

33. Source: theCandEs.org, 2012
CANDIDATES
“How were you treated when
YOU were NOT SELECTED by [Company Name]?”
17.9%
POSITIVE
38.5%
NEUTRAL
43.6%
NEGATIVE

34. Noah Z. Ark received 265
Responses to his resume
25% eventually told Noah “no”
(Which means 75 didn’t bother)
77% in some way
‘acknowledged’ Noah
for his application.
5 companies showed
interest including 2
calls from company
recruiters and 1 from a
headhunter.

35. Apr 5, 2011
Hi Chris,
Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to consider you for our Information
Security Engineer position at Zappos.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
I wish I had better news for you, but after reviewing your background and experience
against the position requirements, we just felt that there wasn't a strong enough
match.
I really appreciate the time you took to apply and know how time consuming and
stressful a job search can be.
Please know that we will definitely keep your information on file for future potential
matches and wish you the best in the meantime.
Respectfully,
Tonya Shtarkman
The Zappos Family Recruiting Team

36. How [10,000] candidates said they were rejected:
Source: theCandEs.org 2012

37. Thank you
(be specific)
Brand
(again and again)
Create
Expectations
Promise closure
Manage feedback
Deliver What You Promise

38. Lesson Learned #7
Expect…and measure…

39. CANDIDATES
“How likely are you to share your
experience: Positive or Negative?”
CANDIDATES

40. 40Source: theCandEs.org, 2012
46.3%
Likely or Very likely
15.2%
Neutral
6.1%
Unlikely or Very Unlikely
“How likely are you to REFER someone
to [Company Name]?”
CANDIDATES
46.3%
Likely or Very
Likely
15.2%
Neutral
6.1%
Unlikely or
Very Unlikely

41. 41
Source: theCandEs.org, 2012
50.6%
Unlikely or very likely
“How likely are you to change as a CUSTOMER
of [Company Name]?”
28.8%
Neutral
24.9%
Likely or very Likely
(~5% +, ~20% - )
CANDIDATES
50.6%
Unlikely or Very
Unlikely
28.8%
Neutral
24.9%
Likely or Very
Likely

42. 42

44. #1 – Build the Business Case
Derive the value. Calculate and
measure the return.
#3 – Increase Transparency
Improve every stakeholders’
ability to make a decision.”
#2 – Seek Feedback
“Stakeholders
[initially/periodically] need to
share their experience at each
stage.”
#4 – Set Expectations, Make them
Public…to all stakeholders, then deliver.
Clarify what will happen next. Set a bar
for minimum expectations.
#5 – Walk in their shoes.
There is no substitute for
understanding ‘their’ perspective fully.

46. Good
Hunting!