The majority of companies say providing a positive candidate experience is critical to the hiring process this year. However, less than half say they’re offering candidates a positive experience. Here’s why it’s a good idea to review your candidate experience this year.
Why Candidate Experience Matters
Looking at your hiring process from the perspective of the candidate is critical to attracting talent. Does your process lend itself to a simple, positive experience? Do you feel like your recruiting team has the information they need to be transparent with the candidate? How is their follow-through? Is submitting a resume to your company like throwing credentials down a bottomless well?
A positive candidate experience ensures that applicants to your company remain enthusiastic about your brand. This builds goodwill in the marketplace. It also helps your recruiters by making it more difficult for a candidate to ghost them. When a candidate is engaged in your process, they will hang in there and stay involved throughout the recruiting process.
Expanding Candidate Pool
A positive experience will also keep people coming back to reapply. This widens your candidate pool and begins a process of making your company a desirable hiring destination. It can even improve employee morale and make them proud to work for your company.
How can you make all of this happen from your recruiting journey?
- First, make the application process simple and transparent. Teach your recruiting teams to sell your company to the candidate, and make sure they follow up frequently.
- Review your website to see how difficult it is to apply. Your goal should be to make it a one- or two-click process with no friction during the submission process.
- End candidate interactions by thanking them for their time and sharing the next steps. If the hiring process is taking a little more time than normal, make sure this is being communicated clearly with the candidate.
- Make the candidate feel like an individual instead of a number. More than half of candidates complain that they aren’t treated as an individual during the interview process. While you may have a set list of questions to ask each candidate, don’t be a robot. Every person is different so tailor your approach to make them feel more at home.
We know it’s hard to attract top talent; it’s something the PrideStaff team works on every day. Hiring is a priority for most businesses, but if you’re doing it wrong it only makes things tougher for your hiring team. The best candidates want a positive experience with your company from the moment they send their resume. If they don’t get it, it makes your business look bad. As you know, bad news travels quickly in the era of social media.
If you’re looking to create a better kind of candidate experience, why not consider a partnership with PrideStaff? We can help your business find top talent and nurture them carefully along in the recruiting process. Find out how we’re different. Call on us today.
