Companies invest a lot of resources in attracting qualified candidates, and then they lose them with overly complex application processes. Nearly 2/3 of potential hires abandon applications they perceive as too lengthy.

Most organizations create this problem without realizing it. You've probably experienced it yourself: clicking an interesting job posting only to face a 20-minute application process. Candidates simply won't tolerate these friction points, especially top performers with multiple options.

This article explains why this happens, how it impacts your hiring success and practical ways to fix it based on what we've learned while working with hundreds of companies.

Application Friction Costs More Than You Realize

Every abandoned application wastes your recruitment marketing spend and extends vacancy timelines. With 60% of job seekers abandoning applications that are too rigid or time-consuming and 92% of candidates never completing online applications, every unnecessary step in your hiring process translates to lost talent and prolonged vacancies.

In industries like healthcare, veterinary medicine, and technology, where there’s competition for the best due to a limited number of talent, a slow or frustrating application process simply pushes candidates toward employers who respect their time.

Negative application experiences ripple through professional networks and public platforms, creating talent acquisition debt that compounds over time, driving up hiring costs and making future recruiting even harder.

If your application process isn't built for speed and ease, it's working against you.

Why Candidates Abandon Your Applications

Companies create vastly different experiences for customers versus candidates. Dakota Younger, Founder and CEO of Boon, explains: "When you go to a website as a customer, they roll out the red carpet. Everything looks really polished. But then you go to their career site, and it's basically raw HTML on white paper, like the back door entrance in the alley."

Companies unintentionally devalue candidates by making the hiring process inconvenient, as if they’re doing applicants a favor rather than competing for their talent. Each additional form field, assessment, or document upload requirement adds friction that filters out qualified candidates with multiple options.

Different workforce segments face unique challenges with complex applications. Field-based professionals get particularly frustrated with lengthy processes. Many companies create psychological barriers by demanding excessive information before establishing any relationship with candidates.

Mobile compatibility creates another hurdle. Field-based professionals, frontline workers, and younger candidates primarily use smartphones for job searching. Applications not optimized for mobile devices introduce unnecessary barriers that drive away otherwise qualified talent.

How Application Psychology Influences Candidate Perception

Your application process speaks volumes about your company culture. Candidates experiencing positive application interactions are more likely to recommend employers to others, creating a virtuous talent acquisition cycle.

Think about what your process communicates. Cumbersome applications signal internal bureaucracy and inefficiency. Streamlined processes demonstrate operational excellence and respect for people's time.

Quality interactions during application phases significantly influence how candidates view your organization. Even rejected candidates who experience positive, respectful processes might reapply later or recommend others, creating network effects that compound over time.

Social proof matters more than ever, with employer review platforms making candidate experiences public knowledge. Negative application process reviews deter future applicants, while positive experiences enhance reputation in competitive talent markets.

Candidates notice when companies request significant time investment before demonstrating equivalent interest. Candidates recognize and reject these one-sided relationships, choosing employers who demonstrate mutual respect from first contact.

Simplification Drives Better Hiring

An example from veterinary healthcare shows how a simplified application process directly improves recruitment success. One veterinary services provider initially required 20-question applications before any recruiter interaction, severely limiting candidate conversion.

Working together, they implemented a two-stage approach: 7-question interest forms followed by comprehensive applications after establishing initial engagement. Recognizing candidates need reciprocal interest before investing significant time paid immediate dividends.

Application completion rates jumped from below 30% to over 90%. Weekly application submissions increased threefold, and most importantly, the veterinary practice filled critical clinical positions that had remained vacant for months.

Streamline Your Process: Making It Happen

You don’t need to rebuild your entire system to improve your application experience. Follow these practical steps that consistently deliver results:

1. Start by auditing your current process. Document every field, click, and page required during application completion. Time how long completion takes across mobile and desktop experiences. Create baseline measurements establishing accountability for improvement.
2. Implement progressive information collection. We've found great success with this approach at Boon. Stage information gathering to respect candidate time while collecting necessary data. Allow mutual interest development before requesting deeper commitment.
3. Critically evaluate each form field. Ask three questions about every element:

• "Does collecting this information matter at this stage?"
• "Could we gather this information later?"
• "Will this field prevent qualified candidates from completing our form?"

1. Make mobile experiences seamless. Ensure excellent smartphone functionality, paying special attention to form fields, document uploads, and assessment capabilities.
2. Measure and continuously improve. Track drop-off points throughout application flow, using data to refine candidate experiences. Effective metrics include completion rates, time-to-completion, and stage-by-stage conversion tracking.

Applying these changes can result in substantial completion rate improvements, particularly among high-value candidates with multiple options. More importantly, measurable improvements appear in time-to-hire and quality-of-hire metrics, directly impacting business performance.

Closing Thoughts

Your application process determines whether top talent stays or walks away. Every extra step, every unnecessary field, and every delay creates friction that weakens your hiring pipeline. Candidates have options and the companies that make applying easier consistently win the best talent.

Small improvements make a big difference. Audit your process, remove unnecessary barriers, and create an experience that respects candidates’ time. The talent market is ever competitive, so don’t let preventable friction be the reason you lose great hires.