In what remains a highly competitive job market, creating a positive candidate experience can make all the difference between securing a new candidate, or losing them to a rival. But what elements contribute to this experience, and how can employers optimise their hiring processes?
The ‘experience’ encompasses every interaction a potential new hire has with your organisation, from initial job search through to their first day and beyond. This includes the application process, communication with inhouse hiring teams, interviews and the onboarding process.
We all know that skills shortages are still having a major impact, and one of the sure fire ways of losing candidates is to provide a poor hiring experience. This immediately creates doubts and hesitation in applicants’ mind. After all, if the hiring experience isn’t great, what will the reality of working for the company be like?
A positive experience is built on a foundation of regular, effective and helpful communication. From the candidate’s perspective, applying and interviewing for a new position is a stressful time, and committing to a new employer is a major life decision, meaning it requires significant due thought and attention. It’s up to a potential employer to lead their applicants through this process, and offer the sort of regular touchpoints they require; whether that’s around life at the organisation, or providing full details about benefits packages and other perks.
This starts with the job description. Transparency here is key and you probably won’t have many well-fitting applications if the specifications you publish are overly vague and opaque. And, further down the line, if the job you advertise is different to the one you interview for, then you will almost certainly face high levels of candidate attrition. The best job descriptions are clear about the role, what qualifications and experiences are needed and what the company’s expectations of the candidate are. Equally, they will also provide information about the job outside of the direct details of the role, and highlight what culture is like so candidates can gauge whether they’re a good fit or not.
Another key element is keeping application processes as concise and simplistic as possible. Try to avoid complicated and lengthy forms, in reality, your candidate’s results in their year four spelling test shouldn’t impact your decision to hire them or not. Optimising platforms for mobile users is also critical. Recent research shows that, in 2023, 62% of applications were made on phones or tablets, meaning that organisations that can’t offer this functionality will likely lose out on talent, particularly when other employers can and will offer smooth, efficient processes. Your team should also prioritise explaining the next steps and provide dates for when candidates will learn whether they will progress or not.
And on this point, if you are not pursuing with an applicant, try to provide feedback to the individual outlining why. Even if this person isn’t right for this specific role, they could fit for others in the future and you’ll likely want to keep them in your wider talent pool. Word also travels fast and applications will tell their professional networks if they’ve had a bad experience which could affect your ability to hire in the future.
The interview will be your first face-to-face touchpoint with the candidate, and ensuring this step is a smooth as others is critical. Ideally, there should be a maximum of two interviews, if you can’t ascertain whether a candidate is right by now, then it reflects more on your assessment techniques. Making applicants return for multiple stages also drastically increases potential drop off rates. Focus on being timely and enabling interviewees to speak to relevant team members and leads. On your side of the table, the interviewers should be well-prepared and familiar with the candidate’s credentials and CV, and the role they are interviewing for.
Throughout the process, from application through to onboarding, you should offer a range of communications across multiple formats and channels. Everyone takes in information in different ways and providing a combination of videos, case studies and behind-the-scenes content can provide a true glimpse into life at the organisation. This enables candidates to gauge whether they are a good fit or not, which benefits both you and them. These regular touchpoints are key even after offers have been accepted. One organisation that we know of says its clients lose around one-in-four candidates post-offer to other employers, highlighting just how competitive the market remains and why maintaining communication is key.
You will likely be able to determine whether there is an issue with your hiring processes if you are not getting many applications, or are seeing high drop-off rates. Another way to gauge success is to adopt candidate experience metrics. By collecting feedback via surveys and feedback forms, your hiring team can analyse data to spot patterns and then implement fixes accordingly. This is important to maintain; your employer brand will always evolve, and it’s therefore critical to provide new content and information that reflects these shifts on a regular basis.
Most sectors and vertical markets are still facing shortages of talent and can ill-afford to lose more applicants. The hiring experience can therefore make all the difference to a whether an individual chooses your organisation or not. The companies widely recognised as top employers, like Google and Salesforce, for example, are clear about their processes and what’s required for candidates, as well as what they stand to gain from joining the organisation
An efficient process can enhance your employer brand through word-of-mouth, and even those who didn’t secure role can act as advocates for you. It can also aid retention; the candidates you employ will feel valued and respected which can aid job satisfaction and ultimately make them more likely to remain with your company. On the flipside, a poor experience can have long lasting ramifications and can potentially negatively impact your wider organisational brand as well as your employer one.
If you’re looking for support in optimising your employer brand, speak to our expert team
With over a decade’s experience in PR, marketing and communications, Bruce develops and executes media relations, content and social media strategies for firms in the recruitment and hiring industries, as well as suppliers to those sectors and other organisations both in the UK and internationally.
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