A company is only as good as its employees. To hire the best talent, in-person or remote, candidate experience plays a major role. From a candidate’s perspective, going through the hiring process can be a little stressful. Thus, it is in the best interest of the company to ensure a smoother experience for the employees. Right from filling up the application form to conducting the interview, it has to be a no-hassle process.
Studies have shown that 57% of job seekers tend to lose their interest in a job when the hiring process is too long. The job market is harrowing, and candidates often apply for more than one job at a time to improve their chances. It makes them look less favorable to organizations with a longer and less engaging hiring process, which just strings them along.
Companies don’t just fight for sales and revenue; they also fight to get the candidate for a particular role. To get a competitive edge, you need to hire the best talents in the industry.
If you still don’t get why candidate experience is important for your business, keep reading to learn more.
Lose Out on Potential and Talented Candidates
Often, candidates are found complaining about the arduous job application process where they spend hours and even days to come up with a perfect resume. After all, who likes filling up long application forms! Application forms containing irrelevant and meaningless questions, such as previous job or experience, that are already present on the resume, can be a big turn-off for the job applicants, causing them to lose interest in it. If they get bored, they can leave the application process. These days, people tend to have a very short attention span.
A potentially good candidate knows that it won’t be much difficult for them to bag a job as many companies will be happy to hire them. Time is valuable to them, and they avoid going through a tedious process.
While recruiting candidates, make sure you have an organized system in place to organize and compile candidate details. Remember, a grueling application process can cause you to lose out on good candidates.
First Impression Holds Great Value
The moment a job seeker gets a follow-up email from your HR department or sets foot on your site, they start sizing you up. Most of the time than not, the candidate does their research on the review sites to get an impression about the company.
The first impression they have of your company will stick to them until the last working day at the office. Make sure you don’t leave anything to chance and have the best talent management program in your company. Bad candidate experience can lead to a bad impression about the company and that’s not good for you in any way.
To avoid this, you have to go above and beyond. Send out customized follow-up emails to the potential candidates and respond to every candidate, irrespective of whether it is a positive or a negative answer. Make sure your HR professionals are well-trained to conduct the interview. Always offer some drinks and snacks to your potential candidates when they arrive for the interview. Your candidates should feel welcomed. It will create a better impression on your candidates, and you can rise above your competitors.
Unhappy Candidates Encourage Others Not to Apply
Candidates are often connected to others from the same industry through social networking sites. If your hiring process leads to a poor candidate experience, job seekers will not only not apply for your company, but also encourage others they know not to apply either. Research has shown that 22% of the unhappy candidates will encourage others not to apply for the job and 72% of the employees share their job hiring experience with others.
A bad hiring experience might also lead good customers to boycott the service and products that your company is offering. Treat your candidates like your customers. If they have a poor experience, they might vent it out in some way. Other than sharing their views with the people they know they can post online reviews about your company. This can be particularly detrimental for your company.
Surveys have shown that job seekers read reviews before they go in for an interview. When they come across negative reviews, they might be put off. So, do what you can to minimize your potential candidate’s dissatisfaction, even if you don’t plan on hiring them. Usually, companies don’t bother to respond to the candidates who aren’t selected. This can create a negative impression. Be professional and send out a message telling them you are sorry for not selecting them.
Candidates Think You Don’t Care
When was the last time you checked your job application process? The job industry keeps changing, and so is technology. So, your hiring process also needs to change. An outdated process will only create a wrong impression. Update the job description you post and review feedback given by candidates. Check the application process on different devices to ensure it is easily accessible to all.
Make your candidates your priority and don’t shy away from showing it to them. Making your candidates feel comfortable can create a good brand reputation. Ultimately, this can improve your bottom line. Your candidates will choose you over your competitors when you both give them an offer. Make sure you respect your candidate’s time and value the effort they are putting into the process.
Creating a Great Candidate Experience
Now, you know how important it is to make a good impression on your potential candidates by using the optimal candidate experience. But how can you do that? Here are a few ways.
- Write Clear and Concise Job Descriptions
When you are posting job descriptions, it has to be informative, concise, and clear. It should give the applicants a clear idea about the job duties and roles. Make sure you include the necessary experience and qualifications. Job descriptions should add the instructions for the initial application process.
Make it clear to the candidates why they should apply for the job. List the salary ranges for the top tech jobs along with the benefits they can enjoy. Simply mentioning that the salary is ‘competitive’ might make the candidates scroll down your job description. They don’t want to waste their time applying for a job that doesn’t list the salary clearly.
- Value the Interviewees’ Time
Going through the job interview can be quite stressful for the candidates. They have to spend a lot of time searching for the perfect job. Respect their time by making sure you have a simple interview process.
Just like the application, know what your candidates want to accomplish with the interview. Learn about the details they need to make their decision process simple. It is better to keep the interview flexible. Have some informal chats with the candidate. It will help them feel comfortable in a pressurized environment. Be straightforward and make sure that the interview process doesn’t take up too much of your time.
If the candidate doesn’t fit the bill and you have to break the bad news, explain to them why they are not fit for the role. Do this personally through email or over the phone. Also give them constructive feedback. If they are worthy to re-engage with, ask them to check in regularly for some other positions in your organization with an automated job matching process. Simply because a candidate is not right for a certain role, doesn’t mean they are not a good choice for future job roles.
- Give Your Full Attention During the Interview Process
It might be the first time the candidate talks to you directly, make sure you treat them with respect. How you conduct the interview can change the candidate’s perception of the company. Deloitte’s study shows that 83% of the job seekers who had a negative interview process will think twice before proceeding with the application process.
Pay attention to the candidate throughout the interview process. Follow up the answers with questions depending on what they are saying.
- Be Open to Receiving and Giving Feedback
Feedback can create a positive candidate experience. You should be open to giving, as well as receiving feedback. Offering personalized feedback to your candidates tells them you value their time. Show them that you support them if they ever consider reapplying in the future. Also, ask for their feedback. This will help in improving the candidate experience. Get to know what worked and what didn’t. It offers a valuable insight into the effectiveness of the hiring process. The candidates tend to feel more appreciated when you ask them for feedback.
Bottom Line: Does Candidate Experience Affect Your Brand Name?
If you want to hire the best candidates, you have to offer a good candidate experience. The experience they have during the hiring process can affect your brand’s name. Every stage of the recruitment process has to be optimized. Having a robust candidate experience strategy is not an option but a necessity. Remember, creating a great candidate experience takes effort and time.
