Ensuring candidates have a positive experience during the recruitment process is extremely important, as their impressions can affect your company’s image (for better or worse). In this article, we will discuss candidate experience and how it can be used in your favor.
Why is candidate experience important?
Having a positive experience does not always mean getting the job. All candidates that take part in a hiring process can leave with a positive experience, as long as they feel they were respected, treated fairly and had clear communication throughout the process.
Here is some data that shows why you should care about candidate experience:
- 33% of candidates that have a negative experience during hiring processes go to social media to share that experience, naming the company.
- 41% of candidates that have a negative experience will choose to no longer consume products from the company.
- 62% of candidates that have a positive experience during the hiring process will tend to consume more products from the company.
More than ever before, people are taking their time to carefully research and choose where they want to work, so if they find negative reviews from previous candidates, they can choose to not even take part in your hiring process. The most common complaints are related to lack of communication, whether it’s during the process, or regarding the results.
Each step of the hiring process must be carefully thought out in order to ensure the best experience for candidates. Negative comments in social media can go viral and impact future processes, influencing public perception of your company, so the best tactic is to prevent negative experiences.
Prioritizing candidate experience can help your brand achieve better results, with candidates being more inclined to support your company, recommend it to friends or even signing up for future hiring processes. Having a process that reflects your organization’s culture can also help to solidify your values and attract the right candidates.
5 ways to improve candidate experience
It’s during the hiring process that candidates are able to analyze the job offered by the company, and decide whether it is aligned with their career objectives. It’s also a view into how your company operates. Below are some things you can do to ensure candidates have the best experience possible:
Know how long each step of the process takes
Having an estimate or a clear timeline of the entire process is important not only internally, but externally as well. People who are seeking jobs usually take part in more that one hiring process, and these can overlap. Having at least an estimate of how long it takes to get an answer – whether positive or negative – can help with planning and anxiety.
Keep an eye on how long it takes to fill roles
It is essential to know how long it takes to fill roles, if possible, by type or department as well. This way, it is easy to identify when something might have gone wrong, and act to find a solution. The quicker, the better, both for the company and candidates.
Make sure you’re targeting the right people
During the initial stages, such as candidate screening, pay attention to the profile of the majority of candidates. Are they close to what you envision for the role? Or are they completely wrong for the job opening?
If the profile of the candidates is very different from what you need, you might be targeting the wrong people – and these candidates can also feel like their time was wasted. Check if the job description is clear, and take note of where you are announcing the role.
Know which departments demand extra care in hiring
Some departments need more specific skills, or are currently facing bigger challenges when it comes to hiring. It is hard to find a “one-size-fits-all” approach, so listen to their needs and make the necessary adjustments to ensure success.
Use the best technology available to support your process
With the adoption of new technologies such as artificial intelligence it is possible to optimize hiring processes. This is also positive for candidates because it means they will get their results faster, and there are methods in place to make the process as fair as possible, reducing discriminatory biases.