Candidate Experience. What do Candidates experience and what do they expect during Application Processes? - A Qualitative and Quantitative Study

Master's Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Psychology - Work, Business, Organisation, grade: 1,0, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, language: English, abstract: The present explorative research study dealt with the candidate experience which is the sum of individual experiences of candidates with a potential employer during a recruiting process. The study examined which experiences candidates made and which expectations they have within application processes. In order to answer this question, a mixed-method approach was used. First, qualitative interviews (N = 4) were conducted. The content analysis revealed eleven categories which played an important role from the subjects' perspective. Second, a quantitative online questionnaire (N = 170), based on these categories, was performed. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive analyses, t-tests or rather Mann-Whitney U tests, analyses of variance, and correlations. In general, the findings showed that the applicants had a quite positive candidate experience. However, some basic features have to be considered within application processes including aspects such as giving feedback, providing information about the application status, sending confirmations of receipt and rejections and the indication of a personal contact person. Furthermore, the study found significant differences between particular groups of applicants e.g. females and males, which are specified in the present work. In addition, the candidate experience correlated with the willingness for a renewed application and the likelihood to recommend the employer to others. Summarizing, it can be stated that taking into account the candidate experience offers a promising approach to master challenges like the demographic change, the skill shortage, the war for talent, and the digitization. By ensuring a positive candidate experience companies can differentiate from competitors in times in which there is change from an employer to an applicant market.