The technological advances of our era have completely shifted the way we work, especially the way companies recruit. Nowadays, the labor market is completely different from before: competitive, fast moving, and has forced to shift the focus of recruiting experts. The main challenge recruiters face is finding a way to gain the best talent before everyone else. The speed and agility of finding these professionals is a huge competitive advantage, but also the way we keep them throughout the process. Knowing that selection processes are sometimes long and frustrating, this undoubtedly leads us to improve the candidate’s experience.
If neglected, it can have a negative impact on an organization’s employer brand and ability to attract and retain the best talent throughout the selection process.
What do we refer to with candidate experience?
Why is it important to look after candidate experience?
A bad review has a lot more repercussion than a good one. In fact, Deloitte has published a study indicating that candidates who had a bad candidate experience will advise others not to apply. Whether they come from your environment or not, social networks like LinkedIn or Glassdoor can serve as a platform to comment on these experiences. Candidates will investigate the company before applying. A negative employer brand may be pushing away the talent you want to attract.
In the current labour market, the power of certain candidates (whose profiles are hard to find) has increased. Many of them may not even in active search, and companies are the ones that pursue them. These candidates hope to be won over and will not get involved unless they are actually attracted by the job and the company. In fact, 78% of candidates believe that candidate experience is an important indicator of how a company shows its values, takes care of its employees and how they will be treated if they are hired.
How can you improve your candidate experience?
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Analyze the company’s current situation and pin-point areas to improve.
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Market your employer brand
Studies have shown that 75% of candidates research across multiple channels a company before applying. They will look for information, reviews, company values, and much more. The more information available, the more susceptible they are to apply. That pre-application stage is an ideal opportunity to explain who you are.
Rather than leaving it to chance and hoping regular job postings will catch the eyes of the talent you look for, real efforts have to be made. The brand is looked at, but can look the way you want it to. Be sure to add extra value to your candidates so they end up choosing your brand over the others.
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Clear communication with your candidates
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Simplify
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Personalize interviews as much as possible.
From the first post to the personal interview. Cold, impersonal emails… easily fall into oblivion. Especially for those who are get daily messages from recruiters eager to make them a part of their team. Be original, but above all, think about who you’re talking to. There are already tools that allow you to customize conversations. However, there is nothing like an interview in which the candidate feels at ease, in a fluent conversation. Not only for the candidate, who will have better experience, but also for the interviewer, who will be able to obtain more information.
In short, a good candidate experience is a very powerful employer brand message, a decisive message about an organization’s ability to acquire the best talent. Small details can have big impacts and can be extremely beneficial.
