Building a Positive Candidate Experience

Did you know that 58% of job seekers declined a job offer due to a negative experience in 2021? Plus, 27% of candidates who had a bad experience actively discourage others from applying. Now that’s just bad business. Employer brands are taking a serious hit from something so easily avoidable. When it’s so easy to create a positive hiring experience, why isn’t every organization making the small amount of effort to do so?

Companies need to stop the practice of letting resumes go ‘into the blackhole’; they need to fix the lack of communications when a candidate isn’t chosen for a next step in the recruiting process.

Regardless if it’s a candidate-driven or company-driven market, it’s critical for companies to ensure a positive candidate experience. Companies need to stop the practice of letting resumes go ‘into the blackhole’; they need to fix the lack of communications when a candidate isn’t chosen for a next step in the recruiting process. The improvement of technology has made the ability to ensure a positive candidate experience attainable. Prioritizing a positive candidate experience shows that companies value their candidates, ensure an inclusive recruiting strategy, and improve the candidates’ image of the company’s culture.

Here are some of the top factors that can enhance the candidate experience:

Clear Communication

• Give an estimated timeline upfront so they can know what to expect and plan accordingly. Be clear about how many candidates are being considered, how many rounds of interviews are planned, and how long the entire process will likely take.

• Give updates every step of the way so that the candidate can stay on the same page and not feel like they’ve been left in the dark.

• Let the candidate know when they won’t be moving on to the next step, or haven’t been chosen for the role. Leaving them hanging can be interpreted as a sign of disrespect or indifference.

Demonstration of Appreciation

• When you’re interviewing people for the job, they’re also interviewing you. Making the effort to show how much you value their time and consideration will leave a great impression. 

• Candidates who don’t get the job or choose to go another route, but feel supported in the process, can be a great referral source.

Transparency

• Be upfront about what the job entails, including the challenges that the candidate might face. 33% of new hires quit in their first 3 months, largely due to mismanaged expectations. This causes high turnover costs that could often be avoided with a more transparent hiring process.

• If you’re not candid about the reality of the role, the candidate might feel cheated, and you’re likely to end up with someone who isn’t fully prepared for the position.

• Provide honest feedback and constructive criticism if there are ways in which you believe the candidate could improve their pitch. While it may feel uncomfortable to have these tough conversations, it could really help the individual in their next interview. Don’t leave them wondering what they did wrong or how they could have been better. 

Use of Technology

• Rely on technology to support the process in areas where you cannot. For example, AI chatbots can help answer frequently asked questions and make candidates feel like they have hands-on support. Technology can also be used to automatically thank applicants for sending in their resumes, conduct standardized background checks, or provide updates along the recruitment process.

• While technology has advanced and can be extremely useful in rounding out a recruiting strategy, it shouldn’t replace the human side of things. Resumes deserve to be looked at by real people, not just bots. Candidates deserve to have authentic interactions with your hiring team and not just being stuck chatting to AI the whole way through.

Bias Elimination

• Inherent bias is often obvious to candidates even when not obvious to your hiring team. If job seekers feel there is even an ounce of discrimination, it could spell disaster for your organization. Bias comes in many shapes and sizes, so be sure to do a thorough self-assessment to ensure your process is bias-free.

• Structure your interviews in a way that is standardized across all candidates, so as to minimize the chance for unconscious bias on a case-by-case basis. Explore the many other ways in which bias can be minimised, such as bling hiring, training sessions, and so on.

• Make diversity hiring a priority. People's differences are assets, and having a team that is diverse in gender, race, work experience, age, brain wiring, etc. etc. can bring in fresh perspectives and an innovative dynamic.

The recruiting process sets the tone for what it’s like to work at an organization. It is often a candidate’s first introduction to their new employer, and can make or break a candidate's decision of whether or not to take the job. When the process goes well, that helps perpetuate a positive brand and spread the word that your organization really cares about people. At the end of the day, people are what it’s all about, and if your business doesn’t respect people then a bad reputation will begin to emerge. 

“Your employer brand is never what you say it is. It’s what your employees and candidates say it is.” – Jillian Einck