How Effective is your Candidate Experience?

Poor candidate experience creates significant reputational risks for employer brands. Employers do not have bad intentions, however with the pressures or hiring new talent, and fast, this causes a break down in communication between the organisations and applicants.
While it has traditionally fallen to the applicant to put their best foot forward, organisations are damaging their reputation by failing to deliver the same courtesy to candidates.

 

According to a recent study of nearly 4,000 people, one-in-four candidates had a negative recruiting experience during their most recent job search. The poor communication occurs when potential employers go silent during the process. Companies either fail to acknowledge once applications have been submitted, do not provide feedback to candidates on how they’re progressing through the hiring process, or even share insight on how they performed in interviews. In addition to this, most fail to notify the candidates if they have been unsuccessful in their application.
To ensure you as an organisation or Hiring Manager, are making the right impression on job seekers, take some time to consider the following:

Straightforward Process & Experience:

With the population being so reliant on their mobile devices, for example, banking, shopping, controlling their home, some organisations career sites are yet to be mobile compatible. As a result of this, a candidate could gain a confusion and unclear experience whilst trying to process their application from their mobile phone.

Transparent Job Specification:

Candidates want to know exactly what they are applying for, and exactly who they are applying to. Ensure you provide as much information as possible, not only in regards to the day-to-day tasks of the opening position, but a few sentences about the company culture and values. This will enable to attract the right type of candidate for the position and the company!

Providing Feedback:

At any stage of the hiring process, feedback is essential. If the candidate was found unsuccessful from the application process, a brief email to notify the applicant of this, and perhaps state why they were unsuccessful. This not only creates a positive impression of your organisation, but also allows the candidate to learn and grow as a person, which will enable them to better in their career search.
If you have interviewed a candidate and you feel for whatever reason, they are not the right fit for the role, a phone call or an email to tell them this is essential. Again, this creates a positive impression of the company and taking time out to communicate with them, shows you appreciate them taking the time out to meet with you.
The hiring process is a daunting task for both the employers and the candidates. Everyone has been a candidate at one stage in their career, so being able to put yourself in the reverse position in this process shows consideration and respect for both parties.