10 funny candidate experience memes – and what they mean
In this engaging read, you'll explore 10 popular candidate experience memes that do more than just tickle your funny bone. Discover what these humorous spin-offs can teach us about improving recruitment strategies and enhancing the overall hiring process.
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!
Contents
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.
Frequently asked questions
- What are candidate experience memes?
- Candidate experience memes are humorous internet content reflecting the experiences faced by job applicants.
- Why should employers learn from these memes?
- These amusing images often highlight common issues in the application process empowering employers to address them effectively for an improved hiring framework.
- How can refining our current recruitment approach benefit our organization?
- A balanced and user-friendly application process resonates better with candidates leading to a larger talent pool, increased engagement, positive employer branding, and higher likelihood of obtaining top talents.
- Can online commentary like these "memes" really provide valuable insights?
- Absolutely! Behind every meme is a real-world revelation wrapped in humor. They're based on recurrent situations experienced by many individuals providing unexpected opportunities for learning.
- What's the main takeaway from using recruitment-related memes as learning tools?
- Recognizing that empathy, openness to adaptability and clear communication done right – especially during times of profound stress such as job hunting– could be your key differentiator versus competition.
