The Brutally Honest Guide to Creating a Kick-Ass Candidate Experience

Welcome to the candidate Hunger Games. ???

So, you wanna be the next workplace savior, huh? You’re ready to lure the best talent with your "We offer free coffee ? and a ping-pong table ??" spiel? Here’s the deal: nobody cares. If you’re still thinking that having kombucha on tap is going to score you the next Mark Cuban, you’re in serious need of a reality check. ??

Let’s get real here: candidates have options, and they’re not waiting around for your 8-step interview process while you meditate on their “cultural fit.” ?? They’ve got places to be and other offers that treat them like humans rather than human capital.        

Numbers don’t lie:

60% of candidates have dropped out of a process because it was taking too long. (60%... Are you serious? Are you hiring or running a marathon???♂?)

72% of candidates who had a poor experience told others about it. In other words, you screw up once, and you’ve got bad Yelp reviews circulating for life. ??

A positive candidate experience makes a person 38% more likely to accept a job offer. (38%! That's almost half! ??)

Step 1: burn the old playbook.?? If your hiring process still starts with a form that makes candidates list every job they’ve ever had since high school, it’s time to grab a match and burn that nonsense. Nobody cares that someone worked at McDonald's 10 years ago—focus on what they’re doing now and what they can bring to your company tomorrow. Better yet, ask them what THEY want from YOU. You’re not doing them a favor by offering them a chance to join your “prestigious” company.

Step 2: get your story straight.?? If your company is more boring than a tax audit, you’ve got a problem. Candidates want to work for a company with a heartbeat ??, a purpose, and some edge. Don’t tell them you’re “redefining the future of work” while making them wear a suit on Zoom. Show them what you actually stand for, what life is like in the trenches, and don’t sugarcoat it. If you think being transparent will scare people away – good. Let them run. You want people who are going to thrive in your chaos, not just tolerate it.

Step 3: stop ghosting.?? You remember going on a date, felt you had a connection but never heard back from your date? Now imagine that on steroids. That’s what ghosting feels like to candidates. 75% of job seekers say they never hear back after applying. Are you serious? Stop treating candidates like they’re disposable, and send that rejection email ASAP. Don’t be that company that goes radio silent and thinks people will just “get the hint.”

Step 4: make interviews not suck.?? If your interviews feel like a therapy session where the candidate is psychoanalyzed, you’re doing it wrong. Keep it real. Interviews should be a conversation, not an interrogation. Ask questions that actually matter, like “What makes you want to punch a hole in a wall at work?” instead of “Where do you see yourself in five years?”—because let's be honest, they have no idea, and neither do you.

Step 5: Speed. Freaking. Matters.?? You think it’s a buyer’s market? Not anymore. Top talent is moving FAST. If your process takes weeks while you're off playing the “who’s going to make the final decision” game, you’re gonna lose the best people to a competitor who moved like lightning.?? Streamline that process.

Remember, every extra day you take is another day your future star might be signing someone else’s offer letter.

As we say in French: "Il vaut mieux prévenir que guérir." – It’s better to prevent than to cure. ??? In other words: if you don’t want a PR nightmare and a LinkedIn post dragging your company’s name, start treating candidates like the high-value humans they are before you have to clean up the mess.

Ready to burn the handbook and start fresh? Let’s get to it. ????

Join my 2-hour deep dive workshop: Elevate Your Employer Brand & Create a Kick-Ass Candidate Experience ?? We’re tearing down the corporate BS and building something bold, real, and irresistible to attract top talent. You’ll walk away with the tools to revamp your brand, create a candidate journey people rave about, and shake things up in your hiring process. Plus two innovative suggestions that I bet none of your competitors are doing!

?? Register here. Seats are limited—don’t miss out. If you’re ready to stop playing small, this is your shot!

Until next time,

Stephan

#HireLikeAHuman #NoMoreGhosting #DeathToPointlessInterviews #CandidateExperienceIsKing #HumanRebellion