Human Resources
Improving Candidate Experience to Attract Top Talent
May 25, 2018
Written by Emily Heightman, Account Manager/ Recruiter.
A real candidate experience told by the real candidate
A couple of years ago I decided I was going to start exploring new employment opportunities and put myself out on the market. I spent a few hours perfecting my resume, pulling out my letters of recommendation, and reviewing my cover letters with a fine-toothed comb. I was ready to start the job search. Over the course of a few weeks, I browsed the usual job boards, read countless job descriptions and researched the top companies to work for in my area. I had been very selective in the jobs I applied for: a local medical university, an electric company, a national beverage manufacturer, and a few more reputable organizations.
Their experience will leave a lasting impression.
Over the course of this job search, I had a few great phone interviews and in-person interviews, and I did finally end up landing a role with my current company. I received some valuable feedback. But do you know what stood out the most to me? The companies that never got back to me- no rejection email, no status update. Nothing. After spending hours and hours on applications and no response, I stored the names of those organizations in my mind that couldn’t even take a moment to send a generic “thanks but no-thanks” email that is sent to mass amounts of candidates at a time. Frustration is just the tip of how I felt. What a terrible experience.
A poor candidate experience made me a better recruiter.
Now as a national recruiter at HireLevel, especially in high-volume or staffing, I have learned it’s easy to get stuck in the habit of moving so quickly that we can forget seemingly small steps in the candidate application process. I’ve been guilty of it myself. For hiring managers, it can be hard to keep the candidate experience in mind. If you have been out of the job search for such a long time, it’s even easier to forget how it feels. Perhaps, letting people down easy is just not your expertise or you just don’t have the time. Whatever the reason may be, focusing on the candidate experience is an absolute in improving hiring processes and winning top talent. That’s where you can utilize the experts to assist and teach you. Either way, it’s imperative that we, people interacting with job seekers, focus on making these processes as seamless and painless as possible for the benefit of both candidate and company.
Your candidate is your customer. Are you getting a 5 star review?…
(ice cream might help!)
Losing sight of the candidate experience- that includes everything from the layout of your website, the ease of the application process, responsiveness, timely feedback, interview feedback and on-boarding, can be detrimental when trying to attract top talent. Think about it as customer service- if you worked at a restaurant, you wouldn’t ask your customers to clean off their own tables, would you? You want to make the entire experience as enjoyable as possible so not only return but hopefully refer others to go as well.
Innovative Talent Attraction
The same goes for the application process. If you make your candidate jump through firing hoops using one leg and blindfolded, they will tell others how painful their experience was, which, in return, could cost you a chance with other candidates. Top candidates have choices. They will research company profiles and reputations. If the word on the street is how awful others’ experience were, chances are they will steer clear of that company; no matter how prestigious it may seem.
I definitely remember the companies where I experienced this. If I ever find myself on the job hunt again, I will be more likely to steer clear of these organizations. So remember- treat your candidates like your customers. They’re screening you just as much as you’re screening them. How do you think you measure up? Smart hiring and retention strategies begin with top notch candidate experience.
