Why Make the Job Applicant Process a Pleasant Experience for All

When your main interests are the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of your hiring practices, it might seem like an afterthought to also concern yourself with how your job applicants feel about your methods. But applicant experience should be on your checklist, and here’s why.

In addition to the simple wisdom of adopting as efficient and intuitive practices and technologies as possible, the rising generation of Millennials has come to expect it. And they are fast making up the majority of the workforce in the U.S. In fact, the Census Bureau estimated that the population of Millennials surpassed that of Baby Boomers back in 2015.

What Are Applicant Expectations?

In addition to a smooth and efficient process, today’s job applicants expect:

1. accurate (thorough) background checks
2. practices that legally compliant with the FCRA and EEOC
3. privacy (they will have provided written authorization to run the background check, with the understanding that the results are confidential and will be handled appropriately)
4. transparency (they know what you’re pulling and why)
5. a clear and upfront written policy
6. a method of disputing results
7. an explicit policy of how they will contact social media background checks (many Millennials consider them an invasion of privacy)

Statistics to Consider

According to research conducted by CareerBuilder, the practice of employers using social media background checks increased by 500 percent in the last decade. Obviously, this is directly connected to the rise of social media sites, but it’s important to consider that the FCRA regulations extend to the use of social media content and should be treated with care. The last thing an employer wants to the accusation of discrimination.

Treading this ground carefully is part of ensuring that job applicants have a positive experience with your application process. But the main consideration is finding a screening provider who can ensure the compliance, efficiency, innovation, and security you need to extend the same experience to your job applicants.