10 funny candidate experience memes – and what they mean

In today’s digitized world, memes are the currency of online social commentary and their influence has undeniably seeped into the realm of recruitment.

Reflecting common applicant experiences with humor and creativity, they offer invaluable insights. These 10 popular candidate experience memes paint a candid picture of candidate experiences. Let’s not just laugh at them, let’s learn from them.

The voice of the internet is undeniably loud, highlighting key points where your recruitment process could use a bit of finessing, turning frustration into engagement. Let’s dive into this fun, yet enlightening journey through the meme-verse.

Let’s dive right in!

1. The no job / no experience catch-22

This crazy paradox is something candidates know all too well. Need a job? Get experience first. But how can you get experience without getting a job?

Candidates want to work for you – consider what else they can bring to the table if they don’t bring the experience you’re ideally looking for. Especially if it’s an entry-level job.

2. Navigating a world of bias

Don’t let unconscious bias cloud your hiring judgment. Pink hair does not necessarily matter, nor does a suit and tie.

What matters is you want the best candidate for the job.

3. So many rules, so little time

Candidates already feel like they’re navigating a minefield and that every single little thing they do might tip the scales towards or away from an opportunity.

Communicate with them throughout the process so they don’t feel like that.

4. Promising good money – later on

Compensation is huge in the minds of candidates – it’s the groundwork on which employment stands. Don’t offer less than the market value for a role with the “promise” of an increase later; candidates are smart to know that may not necessarily happen. Remember, it’s a two-way street.

5. You can’t always predict the future

There’s value in asking candidates where they see themselves in five years – but there are times where that question may not be the best option. We live in a fast-changing, tumultuous world and career changes are a part of that. Think about it in perspective: COVID-19 wasn’t even a real concept for many of us until early 2020 but it’s essentially changed everything in a matter of years.

6. Jobhunting is hard work

Candidates are putting in a lot of time, energy, and resources when looking for a new job. It’s also incredibly stressful. Be empathetic when you evaluate, and maintain that top-notch candidate experience. After all, they’re humans, and you’re human too.

7. Candidates will say what you want to hear

Let’s be real: candidates won’t work for free. They do have bills to pay and mouths to feed. What actually matters is that they’re there and they believe in doing a good job. Don’t judge them based on whether they pledge allegiance and all that stuff.

8. Don’t overpromise and underdeliver

If you’re taking too long to fill those urgent roles, that’s not only going to hurt you as a business trying to navigate things on three legs – it’s also going to hurt your reputation as an employer. When you say in your job posting that you want someone right now, you’d best live up to that promise.

9. Don’t ghost your candidates

This falls into a similar bucket as above. If you ghost them after putting them through a never-ending wringer of evaluations, assessments, interviews, background checks, and who knows what else – that’s just a bad look.

10. Forcing candidates to refill their info

And finally, our favorite – you have an ATS that asks candidates to upload their resume, only to force them to fill out all kinds of fields to “complete” their application.

But the good news is that’s not going to happen if you have Workable as your ATS – we’re ranked among the best of them in terms of resume parsing.

It’s all about candidate experience

Remember, behind every meme, there’s a nugget of truth wrapped in humor. Use these insights to enhance your recruitment process, making it more user-friendly and appealing. The Internet has spoken – it’s time to listen.

So, take these fun snippets of collective wisdom to heart, adapt, and innovate. After all, in the competitive landscape of talent acquisition, a streamlined and empathetic recruitment process can be your key differentiator.