The employer-employee dynamic has transitioned a great deal over the last few years. Traditionally, recruiters used to hold power in the recruitment process. However, due to the tight and fast-moving labor market, the power has shifted effectively from recruiters to candidates. Gone are those days when recruiters used to have an upper hand. In today’s candidate-driven market, you need to figure out how to build a great candidate experience strategy. In this blog, we’re going to de-code how to do that.
What Is Candidate Experience?
Candidate experience is basically the image of a prospective employer that a candidate conceives during the complete hiring process. This includes all the points of communication involved in each step of the recruiting process. Right from sourcing, to onboarding, each interaction counts and leaves an impression on the candidates about the employer and company culture.
Why Is It Important?
Recruiters more often emphasize mainly how to find the right candidate. They usually forget to consider how a candidate actually feels about applying for a job at their company. It is incredibly critical to note that a bad candidate experience can create a disconnect between employers and potential employees. According to a study, nearly 60% of job seekers have had a poor candidate experience. Also, 72% have shared their experience on online employer review sites such as Glassdoor.com. We all know how bad reviews can affect the reputation and employer brand.
Building a great candidate experience is important especially after the difficult time, the world went through. The absence of physical presence can create a great sense of disconnection between employers and employees. So, here are some amazing ways to guide you on how to build a great candidate experience strategy.
Keep Your Communication Transparent
Building a great candidate experience is all about communicating effectively with your candidates. You candidates are probably curious, maybe even tensed about the status of their candidature.
It is your responsibility as an employer to keep them informed and updated in every stage of the hiring process. Your employees and candidates will be more motivated and productive if they feel like a part of something with a sense of belonging.
Set Clear Expectations Since The Very Beginning
The last thing you would want to do is keep your candidates dissatisfied. To build an amazing candidate experience, you need to fulfill the expectations of your candidates. That’s why you need to set clear expectations right from the scratch.
The first step of doing so would be drafting clear, concise, and simple job descriptions. Highlight the roles and responsibilities as clearly as possible. Also, you need to keep the rest of the communication clear and simple as well. Whether you’re communicating via emails or phone calls, you need to convey your message clearly, without any ambiguity.
Go For Personalized Gifts
Now may seem like a little over the top, but its effect on your candidate experience will be massive. It’s simple, if your employees are pleased, your business will bloom. Every company has its own strategy for providing incentives and gifts to its employees. However, an added layer of personalization can be like a cherry on the cake.
Before the pandemic, candidates could easily go for physical interviews where they received goodies and hampers. However, employees getting hired during the current times are deprived of this little joy. So, make sure you make some effort and send out some personalized gifts. It can fill your candidates with gratitude and create an amazing candidate experience.
Introduce Your Work Culture
The work culture of a company is one of the critical factors that make it desirable to work for a candidate. Your candidates will definitely look for a glimpse of your work culture while applying for a job at your company. That’s why make sure you introduce your candidates to your work culture right at the beginning of the hiring process and even throughout it.
Mention a little about what it is to work for you in your job description. Keep your communication process simple and systematic. Give an office tour to your candidates after the interview, even if it has to be virtual. Taking such tiny steps can go a long way in establishing your employer brand and boosting the candidate experience.
Simplify Your Recruiting Process
A complicated hiring process can be a big turnoff for talented candidates. That’s why you need to simplify your hiring process. Firstly, make the process of applying for jobs easy for your candidates. Make sure your careers page is easily discoverable. Make the instructions for applying easy-to-read and concise.
The next best thing you can do to simplify your hiring is to integrate technology into your hiring process. Recruiting software and ATS can automate your hiring process and smoothen it for you as well as your candidates.