[2-minute insight]

Exactly what constitutes as a poor experience will vary from person to person but one thing is for certain, unhappy candidates talk online. This is because they’re human and have a built-in safeguard called a ‘negativity bias’.

The human negativity bias registers negative experiences more quickly than positive ones, as well as having the tendency to dwell on them. This bias partly functions to keep us from potential harm in the future.

The human negativity bias means that people feel, remember and respond to the discomfort of a negative experience more powerfully than the pleasure of a good one. This is why a bad first impression has a lingering effect and is difficult to overcome. First impressions at an interview are no exception.

72% of candidates will share a negative interview experience with their social networks.

Career builder

Interviews are huge part of a candidate’s journey and they’re a two-way street. As much as you are evaluating your candidates, they’re also evaluating you. This begins with everything they experience from when they first arrive at your organisation.

At the most basic level, candidates are evaluating:

  1. Whether the interviewer’s on time.
  2. If they’re greeted with courtesy and warmth.
  3. The appropriateness of the questions, how specific & focused these are.
  4. How engaged the interviewer is and their body language.
  5. How prepared the interviewer is what they already know about them.
  6. The interviewer’s understanding of the role and their ability to answer questions.

Technology and social media have made it much easier for candidates to kick their negativity bias into overdrive and share their experiences online. Poor reviews can harm your organisation’s reputation because, unfortunately, bad news not only sells but it spreads…sometimes like wildfire!

Don’t risk feeding a candidate’s negativity bias and land yourself in the 72% because you could also end up limiting your future talent pool.

Samantha Lynne
I help business owners & hiring managers streamline candidate interviews to make right-first-time hires for the long-term.