Springer, your job application process reflects your company’s values
My LinkedIn job search threw up a potential match for me.
A UX job in Berlin, Germany.
I clicked on the “Apply” button and, I must confess, expected a fairly seamless & easy-going process.
But there was no “Apply with LinkedIn” button to be seen.
Let's go for it
I had landed on an external (i.e. third party service) site where the application process was hosted. Just to confirm, this was not the site of the potential employee.
And on that external page, I duly hit the “Apply” button.
The user flow up to this point was a bit clunky, but nothing out of the ordinary, nor was it too annoying (on a scale of 1-10, this is a 1).
Another account
Oh, guess what?!
I need to create an account to continue with my application.
So I created yet another account for a process that I would use only once!
At this point, the process is unnecessarily annoying (on a scale of 1-10, this is immediately a 5).
No really, let's go for it
Once I’m “in” and ready to manually fill in the application form (manually b/c no information was transferred from LinkedIn), I see a plain, old, ugly and excessively long form (think look and feel of Web 1.0), split over an undefined amount of pages.
Yuck!
Usabilty issues abounded.
After 2 seconds it was apparent that a usability test has never been performed on this application process.
None-the-less, I struggled through the pages of the process.
At this point, the process is not only antiquated, it's also extremely annoying (on a scale of 1-10, this is an 8).
“Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it.” — Jared Spool
Just two more things
To crown all of this, there are two questions at the end of the application that are so confusing, that I genuinely didn’t understand what I was being asked.
Consequently, I didn’t know how to answer.
These two questions are in the section: “This section is for German Applicants Only”.
Now I’m a Brit, and am therefore not a German applicant. Yet these questions are mandatory for me (duh!).
So I need to assume that the copy has been written by a non-native and what they actually mean is “This section is only for jobs in Germany” (@Springer, do you even know what you mean?!).
The 1st question is: “I am not an applicant for Germany”.
Possible answers are:
“Yes”
“No”
The trick with double negatives
Oh shoot! There’s a negative in there… so how exactly is anyone supposed to answer this?
A. Yes! ... as in, I am “not an applicant for Germany”
or
B. No! ... as in, I am not “not an applicant for Germany” and therefore am “an applicant for Germany”
Those double negatives get me every time.
I decided after a while to go with the more positive “Yes”.
At this point, in theory only a few seconds away from hitting the final “Apply” button, the process has gone off the annoying scale (on a scale of 1-10, this is a 15, at least).
I'm not supposed to ask this, but...
The 2nd question is: “Disability Status”.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any disabilities and I’m also all for equal opportunities, but I believe the question is illegal!
It’s the equivalent of asking a woman whether she is pregnant.
Or asking for a person’s race.
Or his/her religion.
And it has nothing to do with and applicants’ abilities.
Possible answers are:
“No”
“Yes, and I wish to represent disabled employees”
“Yes, and I do not wish to represent disabled employees”
“I am not an applicant for Germany”
“I am not an applicant for Germany”
“I am not an applicant for Germany”
“I am not an applicant for Germany”
“I am not an applicant for Germany”
Just answer the question
Phew! That’s kinda confusing… and makes me reconsider just what exactly the previous question was asking me.
They also seem to be pushing the answer “I am not an applicant for Germany”, since it is listed 5 times. (Seriously, Springer?!)
I decided here to go with one of the five versions of “I am not an applicant for Germany”.
At this point, in theory only a few seconds away from hitting the final “Apply” button, the process has gone AWOL (on the annoying scale of 1-10, this is a 25).
Why are these an issue?
My concern here is the confusing usability issues and the ubiquitous UX.
You can’t NOT have UX (double negative, see what I did there).
I’m guessing that Springer secretly thinks that UX is only an issue on their website, conveniently forgetting all other touchpoints.
My application
In this particular case, I applied late yesterday evening, and my application was rejected earls this morning! (all automated, of course)
Naturally, I sent an eMail with the above screenshots to the only address I had at carreers@spr**************.com, and immediately received a bounce back (a no response eMail).
And that tells me, that Springer does not wished for feedback (at that address).
Low-hanging fruit
A few simple copy changes could easily reduce the confusion and cognitive load.
Conclusion
@all, never forget, that your job application process reflects your company’s values, whether you like it or not.
Global Head of Talent Acquisition
5 年Hi Alexander, The system you got through to was our ATS (Applicant Tracking System) that allows to us track the thousands of applications we receive globally. The system is admittedly a little clunky and could benefit from some changes – thank you for your feedback on the areas that slowed the process down most. While there are definitely elements that could be improved on, I really need to clarify why the disability question exists. At Springer Nature, we care passionately about recruiting a diverse workforce. The section on disability is a legal requirement in Germany and as we recruit globally, we need to include it. You mention that you’re British, and you’re correct that in Britain, it is illegal to collect this information. This is why we include the option to answer with ‘I am not a candidate for Germany’, although we clearly need to look at why the option appeared multiple times. Things get complicated when you recruit across countries and many of our roles can be based in London, New York, Berlin or Shanghai, where there are very different employment laws so we have to find a way to comply legally with all of them. Unfortunately, all these considerations make the process less streamlined at your end, although we will continue to look for ways to improve the experience. Lastly, I am sorry you were unsuccessful on this occasion and I wish you all the best with your job hunt!
Principal @ SKfA | Meisterschule, AA Dipl. BSc
5 年'HR' - the genius of the modern world ... right up there with the 'shoe umbrella'