The Recruiting Experience Starts at the Application

One of the responsibilities I take very seriously is hiring talent. While I’m not part of HR, I do care deeply about the recruiting experience. For most candidates, their first real interaction with your company isn’t a conversation with a recruiter or a hiring manager—it’s the application process itself. That means the recruiting experience doesn’t start with the interview, it starts the moment someone clicks Apply.

Too often, companies treat the application portal as a formality. It’s not. It’s your first impression. And just like we obsess over first impressions with customers, we should be doing the same for potential team members.

The Basics: Don’t Make It an Obstacle Course

At a minimum, submitting an application should not feel like an obstacle course. Candidates are already taking a leap of faith by investing their time and energy into applying. If the system asks them to upload a résumé and then retype every detail manually, you’re sending a clear (and negative) message about what it’s like to work with you.

A clunky or frustrating application process signals a culture that tolerates inefficiency, bureaucracy, and lack of empathy. On the other hand, a smooth and respectful process says: We value your time, and we want to make this easy.

Aim Higher: Make It Delightful

We talk a lot in product design about “delight”—those little moments that make people smile or feel appreciated. The same principle applies to recruiting. Simple touches like:

• A clear explanation of what will happen next after applying.
• A warm confirmation email that feels human, not robotic.
• A streamlined application form that leverages résumé parsing to reduce data entry.
• Accessibility features that make sure every candidate can participate fully.

These things cost very little, but they go a long way in building goodwill and trust.

Why This Matters to Engineering Leaders

Some might argue that the recruiting portal is an HR responsibility, not engineering’s problem. But as a leader who wants to attract the best talent, I disagree. The people who will apply for my teams are the same people who will use that system. If they drop off because the experience is clunky or frustrating, we never even get the chance to meet them.

And great candidates have choices. If applying to your company feels like running into a wall, while applying to another feels smooth and respectful, guess where they’re going to invest their energy?

The Recruiting Experience Is a Reflection of Your Culture

Ultimately, your application process is a proxy for your company culture. Do you respect people’s time? Do you care about design and usability? Do you communicate clearly? Do you treat people with empathy even before they’ve joined you?

Candidates are watching and forming opinions long before the first interview question is asked.

My Call to Action

If you’re responsible for hiring, don’t ignore the first step in the process. Advocate for a candidate experience that reflects the values you want your team to embody. Start by avoiding clunky or frustrating hurdles, and strive for an experience that’s smooth—and maybe even delightful. Because the recruiting experience starts at the application, and you only get one first impression.