Almost a quarter of job seeking graduates have walked away from a potential employer because they had been put off by the company’s behaviour during the recruitment process, according to research from Reed Consulting.

The study found that the most common complaint was not hearing back from a company at all. Other reasons for graduates walking away were no feedback (60%), the job that was advertised changed or was no longer available (32%), and a lack of information about the organisation or role (31%).

Becky Remington, head of graduate services at Reed Consulting, says: “Employers need to ensure that every part of their recruitment process runs smoothly from attraction all the way through to the final offer stage to protect their businesses performance and employer brand.”

Other bad experiences included a lack of notice for interviews and assessment centres (17%), incorrect salary information (13%), and the interviewer getting the candidates name wrong (10%).