A Bad Job Interview Can Hurt Revenue, According to Study

It's easy to forget that candidates are customers and consumers, too. And new research from ManpowerGroup Solutions, "Add to Cart: Candidates are Consumers, Too," suggests that your business has an opportunity to actually develop a more loyal base through your recruitment process.

Think about it: If you leave a good impression on a candidate, they'll be likely to spread good word about your business. If you leave a bad taste in their mouth, however, they'll be sure to tell others about it — and that could hurt your business.

Science proves it. In a survey of nearly 18,000 candidates across 24 markets, more than half (54 percent) said candidate experience directly influences whether or not they choose to buy a company's products or services. In Singapore, alone, that number increased to 58 percent.

Disgruntled candidates who'd been rejected may, of course, complain about a company to friends, on social media and on job review sites. Those in Singapore who were most negatively affected (65 percent) were the ones who felt like there was a lack of transparency on salary or job description. Sixty-one percent said the interview itself was a poor experience and the employer didn't follow up after the initial interview. Meanwhile, 60 percent said no response to a submitted job application affected their purchasing decisions with the company. And about half (49 percent) of candidates in Singapore added that a lack of employer-employee trust negatively impacted their purchasing behavior later on, as well.

Meanwhile, rejection alone doesn't necessarily make an interview bad. But 56 percent of candidates in Singapore would tell others about the aforementioned experiences, and 57 percent said that, if their friend had one of those experiences, it'd also make them less likely to buy a product or service.

“Developing a robust strategy to ensure candidates have a great candidate experience at every touch point is critical to attracting the brightest and best and nurturing existing or future consumers," Linda Teo, country manager, ManpowerGroup Singapore, said. "Transparent job descriptions, clear values and offering a good interview experience all contribute to the experience, and ultimately to both whether a candidate accepts an offered position or chooses your products and services.”

If you can ensure that your candidates have good experiences, the research suggests that the reverse is also true — 60 percent of Singapore candidates said they'd be more likely to work for a company whose products and services they already buy and use. They'll surely be more likely to talk up a company if they have a pleasant interview experience, as well, whether or not they get the job.

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