Oct 15

Conducting mystery applicant exercises

A mystery applicant exercise involves enlisting individuals (often current employees or external evaluators) to apply for positions and evaluate their experiences throughout the recruitment process. This exercise provides valuable insights from a candidate’s perspective.

Project objective:

The goal of this exercise is to understand the candidate journey firsthand, identify pain points, and improve the overall experience. This includes assessing everything from job listings to communication, interviews, and offer stages.

How to conduct a mystery applicant exercise:

Step one

Define the scope and objectives

Choose a representative sample of job roles to apply for (entry-level, mid-career, specialized positions). Define KPIs for success, such as application completion time, communication turnaround, or ease of navigating the process.

Step two

Create mystery applicant profiles

Develop two to four unique personas with varying backgrounds, skill levels and career interests that align with the roles you are targeting. Ensure these profiles mimic real candidates and reflect the kinds of candidates who typically apply to your roles.

Step three

Apply to open roles as a mystery candidate

Use the created personas to submit applications to open positions, assessing the job search, application submission and any automated communications. Evaluate the experience across different devices (laptop / mobile).

Step FOUR

Evaluate communication and follow up

Track e-mail acknowledgements or any other automate responses. Monitor follow-up timing and assess whether these communications feel inspiring and authentic to your company culture. Evaluate how well you understand the expectations of you at each stage.

Step FIVE

Participate in the interview process

Go through the interview process, if your mystery applicants make it to this stage. Evaluate the structure and quality of the interview: Was it tailored to the role? Were the interviewers engaged and prepared? Did you receive information about the company culture, and were your questions answered?

Step six

Assess feedback and offer stage

If your mystery candidate is rejected, evaluate whether feedback was provided and if the communication was respectful and constructive. Was the rejection done in a professional, timely manner?

If your candidate is offered a position, assess the offer's clarity, competitiveness, and whether it's reflective of the discussions during interviews. Consider the time taken to extend the offer and whether the offer package is aligned with expectations.

Step sEVEN

Compile and analyse results

Document every stage of the process, from application to offer. Highlight the positive aspects of the experience, but also flag the pain points such as delays, impersonal communications or how inclusive the process felt.