More than half of workers say that a negative hiring experience makes them less likely to buy a company’s products or services in the future. Added to this, 56% say they are more likely to work for a company whose products and services they buy or use.

These are the findings of the ManpowerGroup Solutions report Add to Cart: Candidates Are Consumers, Too. Based on a survey of 18,000 workers across 24 countries, the report explores the things that matter most to workers during the hiring process, including the dynamics of candidates as consumers.

The Impact Of Negative Hiring Experiences

Companies work hard to build relationships with potential and existing customers, focusing on delivering the best customer experience, service, brand reputation, and more. Yet it’s also important that attention is paid to the impact that negative hiring experiences can have on future purchasing decisions. After all, employer brands can be perceived as even more personal than consumer brands, since candidates themselves are being accepted or rejected by the brand.

Take a look at our infographic to learn more about the impact of negative hiring experiences on consumer buying behaviour:Employers may try to dismiss the negative impacts that their candidate experience may have on sales, and say that they are just disgruntled, rejected candidates spreading sour grapes. But the research suggests otherwise. Rejection after an interview ranks seventh among a list of experiences  that impact purchasing intent. Number one on the list is lack of transparency on salary or job description, with 63% of candidates saying it impacts purchase intent.

At ManpowerGroup, one of the ways we ensure that we deliver first-class hiring experiences is through our global partnership with Medallia. Medallia is a market-leading technology platform for measuring, tracking and analysing candidate feedback, in line with the Net Promoter Score methodology. With its real-time, agile and personalised technology functions, we are able to comprehensively capture candidate feedback and optimise the hiring experience within our business.

Companies should devote equal energy and resources toward the candidate experience as they do to the consumer experience. To find out more about the dynamics of candidates as consumers, download our whitepaper Add to Cart: Candidates Are Consumers, Too.This article first appeared in the tenth edition of The Human Age Newspaper.