Last year we published survey data on how candidates experience Fitzii. As we mentioned back then, Fitzii wasn’t created just to give recruiters and hiring managers a great tool. We set out to provide value and a good experience to job seekers too (which, unfortunately, is rarely the case with most recruiting technology out there).

We continue to track the candidate survey data and will be publishing an update on the (still high) scores soon. In this post, I wanted to share some powerful ways that a great application experience can benefit both job seekers as well as employers.

The word cloud above is generated out of all the feedback we’ve ever received from job seekers and is based on the frequency of the words that occur in that feedback. We still get a buzz out of seeing words like “fun”, “enjoyable”, “simple”, “quick” and even “friendly” showing up. Imagine that, an ATS being described as “friendly & fun”! (Liz Ryan would be proud).

Good things happen when candidates are happy, so Fitzii clients have found a number of benefits of having a great candidate experience. Here’s the top four we’ve seen:

1. More Engaged Candidates

We regularly get feedback from recruiters that when they reach out to applicants, they’re more positive and excited based purely on the application process (and actually remember applying to the specific job!). Lots of people were even startled by this and our recruiting agency clients in particular have found this to be a competitive edge when trying to find the best candidates. From the surveys, here’s a couple candidate comments to show you what we mean:

“Best application system I’ve used; clean-looking, contemporary, smarter than all. Keep it up! (I’ll make sure to check out your job openings!)”

 “This application process / platform is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. I have used several tools such as these over the past few weeks and this has been the best experience thus far. I actually had a look at the code to see some of the stylesheet element choices for my own interest.”

2. Seen as Fast & Efficient

As our application process is a bit more involved than most traditional systems, we sometimes hear the concern that some applicants won’t take the time to apply. What we’ve found though is that candidates don’t view Fitzii as time consuming, because it’s intuitive and efficient. This suggests that time-to-apply is not the only factor to consider when deciding if an online process is applicant-friendly.

“This was by far the best web application for a job I’ve used. It was simple and fast.”

“Easy to use and fill out, especially by connecting to the LinkedIn profile. Survey portion was easy to understand and complete. Application time and survey was very quick, less than 10 minutes. Great job”

“Best Application Ever!!! Fast and Easy to use. Sweet!!”

“This has been the best application I have done to date. Easy, fast, enjoyable!”

3. Candidates Getting a Fair Shake

Fitzii was created out of a desire to make hiring more objective and demote the resume from its central and flawed role in making initial screening decisions. We know candidates will express frustration when they feel they’re being fed into an ATS “keyword machine“, and in Fitzii they really appreciate being able to present themselves on multiple dimensions.

“This process was different than any other application I’ve submitted.  I appreciate the thoroughness and the need to be succinct while still being given the opportunity to have a voice.  I would definitely use this service if I were doing the hiring”

“Best application process I have experienced. Saved my assessment, as it is a valuable tool and I believe provided an accurate evaluation in all areas covered”.

 “Best application process ever! Loved the balance of job skills and personality metrics. Thank you.”

4. Value for the Employer Brand

The experience of applying for a job is tied to the brand of the organization that is hiring, so the online application process can either leave a good or a bad taste with potential new hires. It’s not uncommon for us to hear a hiring manager marvel at how they heard the candidates say their company was “innovative” or “really care about finding the right fit”, because of the Fitzii process. Applicants will compare your job application to other companies out there, and Fitzii helps your brand to really shine.

“This is the best online job application tool I have ever worked with. You ought to contact Bell, Rogers, CBC and other companies and help them fix their application procedures.”

“This was by far the best online job application process I have come across. The interface of your website was extremely easy to follow, it was organized and visually appealing. Often times applying to jobs (especially online), can be a daunting, lengthy process as a result many glitches and information populating in the wrong areas, but I by no means felt that way here. […]. It was easy to apply your organization, and I give praise to the individuals and department who created this interface. I wish more job application tools resembled yours. Job extremely well done!!!” 

 “One of the best job application experience yet. Way better than Oracle Taleo and Hiredesk. Highly interactive, fun and engaging. Thanks!”

Hopefully all these candidate comments have persuaded you that spending time on improving their experience can add real value to your recruitment activities.

If not, we’ll take one last stab at it. Here is our current favorite job seeker comment:

“Thank you for making this a painless experience compared to other websites – especially the ones with job application software tracking systems. It’s a nightmare!”

You know you’re doing something right when job seekers don’t even notice your applicant tracking system!