There has been a drastic change in the employee-employer relationship over the past decade. The upper hand that recruiters earlier had has now shifted to the candidates. Blame it to the tight labor market, but it is quite evident that recruitment today is all about the experience.
What is Candidate Experience?
Candidate experience, the current trend in recruitment, can be defined as the way a candidate perceives and reacts to the four primary stages of a hiring process – sourcing, screening, selection, and onboarding. It is the first step for a job seeker to make an impression about their employer.
Candidate experience is already in the picture even before the beginning of the recruitment process. According to a survey, 48% of candidates had either interacted or knew a company before applying there for a job. These interactions could have been a friend or family that worked with the company or a famous company that has a particular brand value and reputation, or they have been a customer of the company. And quite evidently, only 2% of the candidates were negatively impressed by an organization before their job application.
Why does it matter?
Almost 78% of candidates have said that candidate experience determines how much a company values its employees. So, providing an excellent candidate experience is no longer a choice; it is a necessity for a business to perform better in its recruitment efforts. It is proved to be directly tied to the company’s bottom line, making it the most talked about topics in talent acquisition.
It is quite evident for everyone in the recruitment business that a lot of negative reviews about a company’s recruitment process does come from candidates. The worst part, however, is the fact that it now gets amplified because of social media and how easy it is to share information publicly. Survey has shown that more than 65% of candidates have said that they would share their negative experiences among their friends and their social network.
Also, for almost 75 percent of candidates, the gap between the applicant and employee experience is slowly diminishing as they feel that the first step to the employee experience is their candidate and onboarding experience at the company. That is why companies must make sure that the candidate experience they offer does not attract any negative impression.
How to improve the candidate experience?
Now that we are clear as to what candidate experience is and its importance in the recruitment process, the next big step is working on improving it.
Below are a few strategies that can be used to improve the candidate experience:
Applicant tracking systems
Applicant tracking systems, commonly known as ATS, are essential when streamlining or increasing the speed of the recruitment process. With offerings such as career site and job board integrations, an ATS makes applying for jobs through social media, career sites or job boards, easy for the candidates.
An ATS also automates the communication process with the candidate after their job application. You can build both active and passive talent pools to keep your candidates engaged. A capable ATS allows you to send customized communication to your candidates to help them through the entire recruitment process. It also offers a seamless mobile interface for added convenience.
Communicate with your candidates
A candidate needs to be informed about his progress in the recruitment process as they do not prefer staying in the dark. More than 80% of candidates in a survey said that the candidate experience would significantly improve if employers could keep them posted of their status and provide a clear timeline for recruitment.
Whether it is a cab we are waiting for, a delivery coming in, or food delivery, we like to stay informed about its status. It is similar for candidates when it comes to recruitment. So, make sure as a recruiter to communicate with your candidates regularly, as a lack of response from employers is the last thing a candidate wants.
Job Descriptions
For every job seeker, the first reading about a job is the job description. So, the job description must play a crucial role in the candidate experience. But what can you do to enhance a job description? Make it more detailed and use dynamic content.
Inadequate job descriptions can make candidates feel the complicacy of the recruitment process. But, when you create dynamic content, that is when the magic happens, and your readers develop an interest. The job description should talk to your candidates and communicate with them. You can also use graphics or videos to enhance the interaction with candidates. For more tips on how to write better job descriptions and create better job posting you can read our other blog.
Tools to interview
Even though in-person interview seems like the perfect approach to knowing your candidate, providing the option of video interviewing shows candidates that you value flexibility. Some candidates might be located far away or a distant city, and using video interviewing is the most advanced and accurate ways to reach them. It works out both for your budget as well as makes the process easier for the candidate.
Video interviewing also makes the entire recruitment process objective and is driven by data if you ask similar questions to all candidates for a similar role. Using technology to determine if the candidate is a good fit for your company is beneficial for both you and the candidate.
Onboarding and human capital management
You conducted the perfect interview, and you think that is the final step of the candidate experience? Not really. Even during the process of selection and onboarding, the candidate experience continues as the individual is still not an employee. So, it is expected of you to have a seamless and worry-free onboarding process as a lot of candidates have mentioned it to be difficult.
The smoothness with which you conduct a background check, prompt feedback, sharing the offer, and ease of joining, adds to the candidate experience in the final step of the recruitment process. Practical exposure to work, rather than loads of paperwork, enhances the experience for a candidate.
A smart, timely, and personalized approach to candidate experience will improve your current recruitment process and help you in identifying why and where you are losing candidates. You will also, along the way, gain a better talent pool and improved brand image. Use these strategies to plug all gaps and deliver a more exceptional candidate experience.
To receive and stay updated about related content:
