Hourly Candidate Experience: What It’s Really Like (and Why It Matters)
An hourly candidate’s reality
The challenges of today’s labor market continue to impact a company’s ability to fully staff their locations. In fact, 76% percent of hiring managers say attracting the right job candidates is their greatest challenge.
While talent shortages play a role, employers may also be unintentionally creating roadblocks that push qualified candidates away. Taking a closer look at what hourly candidates experience when searching and applying for jobs can highlight opportunities to simplify the process, improve communication, and ultimately attract stronger talent.
Candidates sound off
In our infographic, What It’s Really Like to Be an Hourly Candidate, we follow the story of Hope, a job seeker navigating the typical hourly hiring process. Her experience reflects what countless candidates go through when they’re simply trying to find a job.
Two of Hope’s biggest challenges – both of which are easily preventable – stand out:
- Overly complicated application process
- Poor or inconsistent communication from employers
Her story underscores a reality many employers overlook: even highly motivated candidates can get derailed when the process itself creates barriers.
Making the case for simplifying the online application process.
The biggest barrier for hourly candidates is often the first step: applying.
- If an application takes longer than five minutes, up to 75% of candidates will abandon it
- Employers themselves feel the impact: 60% cite too few applicants as a leading recruiting challenge
The message is clear: the harder it is to apply, the fewer candidates you’ll see.
Streamlining the application process has multiple benefits:
- More completed applications = a larger candidate pool
- A stronger employer brand when candidates feel valued from the start
- A healthier pipeline of talent for future openings
We recommend employers regularly test their own application process. Ask a few HR and non-HR employees to apply for a role and share their feedback: How long did it take? Where did they get frustrated? Were there unnecessary redundancies? Then compare your process to competitors. First-hand visibility gives talent acquisition leaders the insight needed to simplify and improve apply rates.
Check out our infographic and learn what it’s really like to be an hourly candidate.
Making the case for… better, and consistent, communication.
The application process isn’t the only hurdle. For many candidates, silence after hitting “apply” is even more discouraging. For hourly workers in particular, two weeks without a response can mean missed income, lost opportunities, or a decision to accept another offer. Nearly half of job seekers cite long wait times as one of their top frustrations.
The solution: establish clear, predictable communication cadences.
- Use ATS automation for application acknowledgements and interview reminders
- Layer in personal recruiter touchpoints to maintain human connection
- Set expectations you can deliver on (it’s better to promise three days and follow up early than to commit to 24 hours and miss it)
Consistent communication keeps candidates engaged and prevents them from walking away mid-process.
Gain perspective to improve candidate experience and apply rates
Two of the biggest, preventable mistakes employers make in hourly hiring are complicated applications and lack of communication. Before raising pay or offering signing bonuses, step back and ask: Are we treating candidates the way they expect to be treated?
Often, the experience candidates have with you during the application and interview process is just as important as pay, benefits, or the work environment you provide after they’re hired.
If you haven’t yet, take a moment to walk through our infographic and experience an hourly candidate’s reality: [See our infographic].
With that perspective in mind, it’s time to identify changes that will deliver a better candidate experience—and stronger apply rates.