It’s not just candidates who come under scrutiny during the hiring process. Recruiting employers risk alienating future employees, losing customers and harming their PR, a recruitment specialist has warned.

Potential employees need to be treated well throughout the recruitment process, even if an applicant proves not to be suitable for the first position they apply for, according to Emma Swinton, manager of corporate sales for Search Consultancy, as they may be ideal for the next vacant position in the organisation

Conversely, an applicant who has had a positive experience during the process, even when unsuccessful, is much more likely to re-apply than if they feel disregarded or unfairly treated.

Applicants told Search Consultancy that a failure to respond if not selected, an absence of feedback, misleading job descriptions and ambiguity or outright deception over salaries and benefits are not uncommon. As well as making them unlikely to apply for other vacancies, applicants said they would avoid buying from such firms or using thir services in the future.

Given that many consumer choices are based on negative recommendations from friends and family, the consequences of poor recruitment processes can be amplified. “Word-of-mouth is always a very powerful tool in the business world and in the information age, an internet-savvy person has a much wider circle of acquaintances,” Swinton explained.

“Internet blogs provide the perfect forum for an angry ex-applicant to vent their frustrations and these can be read by hundreds or thousands of people. It’s also not unusual for users of social networking sites to have up to 1000 cyber-friends.”