Why Your Hiring Process Is Bleeding Top Talent (And What To Do About It)

Top talent is out there, looking for opportunities, and they’re ready to make an impact. But guess what? Your outdated hiring process is pushing them away. You’re working harder than ever to find the perfect candidate, but the longer your application process takes, the more top talent you lose.

If you’re wondering why you’re struggling to fill roles with the best people, the answer might be simpler than you think: your hiring process is broken.

It’s time to fix this, and we’re going to show you how.

Talent Expectations vs. Company Hiring Processes

Candidates are juggling multiple opportunities and don’t have time for lengthy applications or endless forms. They have options, and if the process takes too long or feels overly complicated, they’re likely to move on.

Many companies, however, are still using processes that haven’t adapted to today’s candidate expectations. It’s like putting up a “Help Wanted” sign while unintentionally creating barriers that make it harder for people to engage.

The job market isn’t what it was five years ago. Around 60% of candidates abandon applications halfway through if they’re too long or confusing.

Candidates now expect a seamless, efficient experience. When the process feels aligned with their pace and expectations, they’re more likely to follow through.

The gap between what talent expects and what the process delivers can quietly push away the very people companies are trying to attract.

The Hidden Cost of Application Friction

When you make candidates jump through hoops to apply, you lose them.

• Top talent won't tolerate friction: The best candidates, especially passive ones who aren’t actively looking, won’t waste time on a long, complicated application. They’ll just move on.
• Damaged brand reputation: A poor candidate experience gets shared. Word spreads, and your company gets a reputation for wasting time with overly complex applications.
• The cost is higher for specialized roles: The more candidates drop off, the more you’ll need to spend on job ads and recruitment to get the same number of applicants.

Lessons From the Veterinary Clinics

Veterinary clinics are quietly outperforming much larger healthcare systems when it comes to hiring—and it’s not because they’re spending more. They’ve built their processes around simplicity and usability.

Boon’s CEO, Dakota Younger, points to these clinics as a model for what happens when companies focus on reducing friction. “Most healthcare orgs are still using massive application forms,” he’s observed, “but vet clinics limit their questions to seven essentials. They know every extra field costs them candidates.”

Beyond using shorter forms, these clinics also prioritize design. Their career sites are clean and easy to navigate, reflecting their customer-facing brand experience. That sends a strong message to candidates: this company values their time.

And perhaps most critically, referral tools are built into the systems employees already use. Instead of forcing people to log in somewhere new or remember another password, referral sharing happens natively—via email, Slack, or a quick link. That’s a big reason why some of these clinics have seen a 45% increase in referral hires after making these changes.

Enhancing Human Processes With AI

AI’s role in hiring sparks plenty of debate. Some fear it removes the human element. Others worry it will automate away critical thinking. And in some cases, those concerns are valid, especially when AI is used to replace human decision-making rather than support it.

Dakota Younger, CEO of Boon, advocates for a different approach: augmentation over automation. AI, in his view, should fill in the gaps, handling what machines do best so people can focus on what only humans can do.

AI adds the most value in talent acquisition when it simplifies workflows, rather than making judgment calls. It should reduce the busywork, not the conversation.

• Let AI handle repetitive tasks: Screening, matching, and scheduling are ideal candidates for automation. This gives recruiters more time to engage with candidates and assess their culture fit.
• Keep people in control: The most effective systems elevate human judgment, offering better data and insights, not decisions.

When used effectively, AI helps streamline the hiring process without compromising the quality of hires.

When Referrals Work, Hiring Gets Better

Referral programs often underperform not because people lack interest, but because the experience creates too much friction. That was the challenge facing a leading provider of therapy services across senior care and outpatient settings. Their team understood the value of referrals, yet the process didn’t support fast action. Employees had to switch systems and navigate unclear steps just to make a recommendation.

To solve this, the organization partnered with Boon to redesign the experience around ease and immediacy. Using a fast and lightweight setup, the team rolled out embedded referral tools that integrated seamlessly within the platform that employees already used. Employees could easily refer and track the progress of their candidates without leaving their daily workflow.

In the first month alone, the organization received more referrals than in the entire previous year. A time-bound incentive helped build momentum, but sustained activity came from the system itself: it was clear, accessible, and designed for speed.

The rollout succeeded because it acknowledged the reality of modern hiring: people engage more when the process works the way they already do.

Removing friction from the referral process doesn’t require a massive rebuild. It just takes thoughtful design and tools that fit seamlessly into how teams operate today.

Practical Steps to Supercharge Your Hiring Process

A strong hiring process does three things well: it removes friction for candidates, clearly reflects your brand, and makes it easy for employees to engage through referrals. When these elements are in place, you stand a chance of discovering great candidates, and your team spends less time chasing the wrong ones.

Start by simplifying the application itself. Count how many questions a candidate must answer before they can express interest. If it's more than seven, you're likely losing people before they even begin.

Next, take a hard look at your career site. Compare it side by side with your main website. Does it feel like it belongs to the same company? Would you send a top candidate there and feel confident it represents your brand?

Referrals are another place where process counts. Ask someone on your team to refer a friend. If it takes more than 30 seconds, there’s too much friction. Most employees won’t bother unless it’s easy and intuitive.

Lastly, don’t forget the experience after someone applies. Candidates and referrers should receive timely updates. Silence kills interest faster than rejection. Try applying for one of your roles on your mobile device. If the process feels clunky, so does your brand.

These aren’t massive changes, but together, they can help make your hiring process functional.

Measuring Success Beyond Applications

A high volume of applicants doesn’t always mean the hiring process is working. Quantity can mask inefficiencies, especially when top candidates drop out or referrals fail to convert.

To understand whether your process is actually delivering, go beyond counting resumes. Look at what happens after someone hits “apply.”

Start with referral conversion rates. How many referred candidates are making it to the offer stage? If the number is low, the issue may lie in how referrals are captured, followed up on, or communicated back to the employee who made the recommendation.

Then track time-to-fill, especially for roles supported by a simplified application flow. When the process is clear and efficient, offers tend to go out faster, and fewer candidates fall off along the way.

Candidate quality scores (however you define them: performance, retention, or hiring manager feedback) help you assess whether changes to your process are attracting stronger talent or just more of it.

Employee engagement with referrals is one of the clearest indicators that your process is working. When referral volume increases after improving the experience, whether by embedding links in Slack or eliminating extra logins, it demonstrates that usability has a direct impact on outcomes.

What you measure shapes what you improve. And the best hiring teams focus on the signals that reveal how well their process is working, not just how busy it is.

Striking the Right Balance in Hiring

Effective hiring doesn't force companies to choose between candidate experience and process thoroughness. The best organizations maintain rigorous standards while creating intuitive paths for talent to engage.

Companies often build complexity into their hiring processes with good intentions, aiming to be thorough or maintain compliance standards. However, these additions accumulate over time, creating friction that discourages qualified candidates and burdens internal teams responsible for managing these workflows.

What we've found is that simplification actually improves outcomes. When referral tools integrate seamlessly with existing workflows, employees tend to use them more frequently. When application forms respect candidates' time while gathering essential information, completion rates improve dramatically.

This balance requires intentional design, examining each step in your process. When companies bring this level of scrutiny to their hiring systems, they often discover opportunities to enhance both candidate experience and assessment quality.

The companies consistently winning talent wars don’t necessarily have the biggest budgets or best perks, but they have mastered this balance between accessibility and standards.

Ready to supercharge your referral program and improve your candidate experience? Schedule a demo today and see how Boon can help you get there.

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