Did you know that 60% of job seekers abandon applications if the process is too rigid or time-consuming? Imagine the potential revenue your job board loses with each abandoned application. For job boards, especially in 2025’s hyper-competitive market, addressing candidate abandonment is not just a priority—it’s essential to survival.

Job seekers expect the same seamless efficiency that they experience on platforms like Amazon and Netflix. Friction during the application process isn’t just a minor inconvenience; it’s a deal-breaker.
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The Core Problem

Every time a candidate drops off during the application process, your job board takes a hit. Candidates abandon applications for several reasons, but one of the most significant factors is being redirected to a new website or system. This interruption creates confusion, adds steps, and often results in frustration.

For employers, this means fewer applicants—and for job boards, a tarnished reputation and potential loss of revenue.
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Why Candidates Abandon Their Applications

Much investigation has been made into why candidates abandon their applications.

• CareerBuilder reported that more than 75% of respondents preferred a one-click application over a lengthy form.
• Redirection, in particular, disrupts the flow and erodes trust. When candidates are taken off your job board to a different system, they’re often faced with inconsistent branding, additional logins, or entirely new workflows—a recipe for abandonment. Ere Recruit makes a comparison with online shopping by saying, “An online shopping site wouldn’t risk shifting people on the verge of buying over to another system, only to have them first create an account and re-enter their credit card and shipping information before they could complete the purchase.”
• When a candidate is redirected, perceived cybersecurity on the application site can also impact abandonment. If the page the candidate is redirected to doesn't provide confidence in its security, they will question where their data is going and hesitate to continue with their application.
• Onrec states that “research shows that a streamlined job application process significantly increases candidate engagement, leading to up to a 365% increase in conversion rates when applications take five minutes or less to complete”.
• Many abandon the process after just 15 minutes, as highlighted in an HR Magazine study.

 
‍Consequences for Job Boards

The consequences of candidate abandonment extend far beyond incomplete applications:

• Financial Loss: Employers frustrated by low completion rates may reduce or eliminate their spending on your platform.
• Employer Dissatisfaction: Employers rely on job boards to connect them with talent. High abandonment rates diminish the value your platform provides.
• Missed targets: For job boards, fewer completed applications could mean missed targets if on a CPA model.
• Tarnished reputations: All of the above consequences can lead to a loss of reputation for your Job Board and reduced status in the market. 

What do the Big Players Do?

Big players like Indeed and LinkedIn have made significant investments in improving UX:

• Indeed’s focus on one-click applications allows candidates to complete the process without leaving the platform.
• LinkedIn’s autofill functionality streamlines the experience, leveraging user profiles to reduce friction.

These platforms have proven that prioritising UX reduces abandonment rates and boosts user satisfaction. For example, some job boards have seen a 30% reduction in abandonment by offering autofill options and progress indicators.
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Actionable Strategies to Reduce Abandonment

Here are practical steps your job board can take:

1. Ensure a Seamless Experience: Avoid redirecting candidates to external sites whenever possible. Keep the entire process within your platform. Consider a solution such as UBIO’s Direct Apply which allows candidates to complete the application while remaining on your job board.
2. Simplify Application Forms: If you have on-site applications, minimise mandatory fields and eliminate unnecessary questions.
3. Provide Progress Indicators: Let candidates see how far along they are in the process. If you are redirecting candidates, set their expectations for what comes next.
4. Remove duplication: Candidates have reported a major barrier to completing their application is the requirement to repeat the same action. Remove any duplication and leverage tools such as UBIO to autofill/eliminate duplicated application form fields to reduce candidate effort and increase completions.

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‍The Bigger Picture

While these changes are critical, they’re only the beginning. Addressing candidate abandonment requires more than just surface-level fixes. Advanced tools, seamless integrations, and ongoing user feedback are essential to staying ahead of the curve.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Don’t let candidate abandonment hold your platform back. Get in touch to see how to bring UBIO’s Direct Apply solution onto your platform. Our customers tell us this helps them increase completed applications, access full attribution tracking and differentiate from the competition. All with a single API.

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