So you sent your resume to this company that looks like a perfect match to your skills, and your wait for a response. And wait. And wait. Did anyone actually receive your application? Could it have been lost out in cyberspace somewhere? You don’t want to appear overly zealous by applying twice, but how do you know that got it? What a pain, right?

I had something similar to the above scenario happen recently. A company I apparently applied to in July finally responded to my resume. I couldn’t even remember what the position was anymore, to be honest. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to “take the next step” or not. Another called and left me a voicemail and I had no idea who it was anymore—it had been that long. HireRight surveys applicants on their opinions toward these, and similar hiring situations in its 2013 Employment Screening Benchmarking Report. The survey reached out to businesses as well as job seekers to find out what’s working—and not—in the ways they interact with each other.

Surprise! An unbelievable 52 percent of companies told HireRight their top business challenge is hiring and retaining talent. How is that possible with a national unemployment rate just under 8 percent? Well, according to HireRight, companies suck at matching their hiring processes to applicants’ expectations, so people don’t want to work for them. Or maybe they just suck to work for, period. We’ve all been with some companies like that.

Here are some of job seekers’ biggest peeves:

• Don’t put some vague, technical description on Craig’s List and expect a good response. Likewise, don’t fill the job posting with a bunch of fluffy words like “fun,” “energetic” and “exciting” without a good explanation of the position. Job seekers typically spend less than 30 seconds reviewing a post, so companies need to make it count—75 percent of respondents said the look and feel of a posting influences their decision whether or not to apply. Likewise, make sure the posting reflects the company’s brand. Everybody hates postings that don’t say to whom they are applying. And keep them fresh by updating the posting every 15 weeks or so. Otherwise candidates see it as a stagnant position that nobody wants.

• Don’t be afraid to post jobs on social networks. It’s 2013: Welcome! Linked In is a favorite in the business world, and everyone knows Facebook is used by more people than pretty much any site on Earth. But don’t stop there. Try posting jobs on Twitter, YouTube and in blogs. You’ll be surprised at the variety of candidates you may entice.

• People have short attention spans nowadays—including job candidates. According to HireRight, 60 percent of online applications take a candidate at least 10 minutes to complete, and 8 percent take a full hour. Not good. The optimal online application should take no more than five minutes to complete, otherwise a lot of qualified applicants are going to move on to the next job opening. Why fill out one application when they can fill out six in the same amount of time?

• Respond to all applications! Let’s repeat that to make sure it sinks in! Respond to all applications! Don’t leave applicants wondering for months whether or not you received their resume or if the submission was successful. Believe it or not, 77 percent of job applicants said they received no communications from organizations after submitting their resumes for advertised promotions. Shame on you companies! And it may come back to bite you in the rear. A full 90 percent of applicants who were treated with courtesy and a personal response said they would encourage others to join the company in the future.

• OK companies, this one’s important, so pay attention: Even applicants with squeaky-clean MOs get nervous about background checks if they don’t know what you’re looking for. Well-informed applicants, on the other hand, have a 35-percent lower dissatisfaction rate. Still, 38 percent of applicants surveyed said they were not informed of what to expect from the background screening process. What are they looking for? My credit score? Employment history? That candy bar I stole in second grade? The color of my poop this morning? Who knows if the posting doesn’t specify.

• Don’t’ be afraid to gather feedback—from the newly-hired as well as those who’ve been let down easy. Only 55 percent of organizations surveyed said they attempt to gather feedback about their hiring experiences. But by surveying job candidates, employers can discover what recruiting practices are working and which ones are scaring people away from their companies. Don’t forget, even candidates who aren’t a good match as employees are potential customers. And 32 percent of candidates said they are less likely to purchase products from a company that didn’t respond to their job applications—even worse, 78 percent will tell friends and family about a bad hiring experience, and 17 percent will post it on social media.

The Road to Talent – An infographic HireRight

[Top image via Flickr/andjohan]