A negative experience for the job seeker can reflect badly on your company.

Get it wrong, and the business will see the same damage that appears when somebody makes a complaint about customer service, which in today’s digital world can be greatly magnified and spread across the Internet.

To help prevent this we have spoken to several jobseekers and outlined their most annoying experiences when applying for jobs.

We have then advised how managers and employers can help to make the process less painful, which helps to create a strong customer brand, which will ultimately find you the perfect candidate.

1. Anonymous Adverts
Putting a company name avoids any embarrassment of not knowing anything about the business or job sector. As a recruiter you can find out which candidates have put in the effort to researching the company rather than just applying for any job.

2. Badly Designed Applications
Check any online recruitment forms and make sure that the system is fully functional and working. Do not ask to upload or provide a CV if all of the information from it is already provided on the form the applicant has just filled in; it becomes tedious for them to fill out and for you to read.

3. Poorly Conducted Interviews
Interviewees will be nervous and the vast majority will make every effort to impress their potential employers. There is nothing worse than being told that your interview is running 30 minutes late, the recruiter showing up in inappropriate clothing, or even answering a phone call half way through.

4. Pick your Questions 
Asking questions such as ‘why have you been out of work all that time?’ will make applicants feel awkward and won’t help you find a good candidate. Instead ask ‘what skills and development have you been working on whilst you’ve been out of work?’, this will show you which applicants demonstrate a good use of their time.

5. Know your Interviewee
Make sure you take five minutes to look over CVs or forms prior to an interview. It is unprofessional and demoralising to attend an interview and see that the recruiter clearly hasn’t glanced at the paperwork to ask any specific questions.

6. Not Being Experienced
Particularly a problem for graduates or those looking for a career change. Recruiters quite often say that they are looking for someone with a minimum amount of work experience which isn’t possible unless they have got a job in that sector, a never-ending catch 22 situation.

7. Being ‘Over-qualified’
Don’t assume that someone who was a manager in a previous job doesn’t want a lesser-paid job. They may be able to bring key elements to your workforce and be perfectly happy not to have the added responsibility!

8. Check Extra Information
If you have requested that the applicant brings extra paperwork such as identification, a CV or qualifications, take the time to look at them. If you don’t they will assume they haven’t been successful and you may also miss out on something not picked up in the application or interview.

9. Know the Answers
It is good etiquette to ask ‘do you have any questions about the job’, but before you do, make sure that you know answers to vital questions. Questions about salary, potential start dates and times are the most common.

10. Communication
The most frustrating part of the process is to not know if you have been successful. Applicants won’t expect a reply from an unsuccessful application form, but will from an interview. This gives the candidate opportunity to ask for any feedback and also gives you the option of calling them should a successful candidate not work out.

Also, remember everything you do represents the companies brand and if you make the mistakes above, you’re going to lose out on qualified candidates.