Candidate experience: does it really matter?

?Today, “candidate experience” is becoming one of the hottest topics in the world of recruitment. Before understanding why it is important to us and why should we care about it, we need to understand what candidate experience actually is.

What is candidate experience?

??????????Candidate experience is nothing but the opinion, feeling or a perception that a candidate has about an organization's recruitment process. In other words it is the way Organizations treat the candidates during the hiring process. While seeking to recruit people with niche skills, organizations should pay attention to simplify the hiring process as at times it becomes time-consuming, complicated and confusing which often will leave candidates frustrated.

???????????“Candidate experience” starts right from the first phone call from/to an organization and ends at joining the organization. It has multiple aspects and stages in it, for example, for some candidates filling in the application form could be a tedious task, while to some long waiting at the reception could create a bad first impression.

There could be thousands of rezones because of which you might end up losing a very good candidate.

???????????Your candidate is trying to apply online for an available job opportunity in your company but your website has a broken link candidate gets a 404 error message.?Result: Bad candidate experience.

??????????????????????A candidate has cleared all the rounds and is waiting for the offer, but nothing happens for weeks, the candidate is trying to call you on your extension but not getting through, error in the board line, receptionist not available, you are stuck in a meeting, you don’t have a voice mail set up. Result: Bad candidate experience.

It’s all about “how do you make a candidate feel?”

Why should we care about candidate experience?

There is enough data to prove that not paying attention to the hiring process can not only cost your company a fortune but a lame hiring process could cost you clients too.

???????????Because you need good employees: A poor candidate experience can prevent you from attracting top talent, your interview process can make or break a decision to accept an offer, and if he is a good candidate he will either be your employee or your future candidate. You will need him.. today.. or tomorrow…???????????

???????????Branding: A good candidate experience will work as a marketing tool for you, however a bad candidate experience will, for sure leave a negative impact on all your branding and marketing efforts.

????????????Remember, they all have friends, co-workers, relatives. Whether or not they get the job, they are going to tell their friends and colleagues about you. If the candidates are not happy with your hiring process, they will never recommend you as an employer to someone they know. And not to forget, nothing is hidden in today’s world of Social media, one bad comment about you can create a negative buzz around your employer brand.

???????????Competitive advantage: Your first impression is your last impression; employee engagement starts from candidate experience. When you hire and retain top talent from the market your clients are also happy with your services, result: you grow and become a good organization.

How do we achieve a winning Candidate Experience?

A positive candidate experience can do wonders for your brand image, each and every candidate that has attended interview at your company will act as a potential brand ambassador for you. A study shows that around 80 percent of job candidates will tell others about an experience that they had at your organization.

Here are Top Eight proven tips and techniques to improve your candidate experience and to help you attract and impress the best talent.

To start with

1. Keep your communication clear and set the expectations right: let the candidates know what you are looking for by preparing a right job description. A detailed job description containing the role, attributes and capabilities will save you from unwanted/not suitable job applications and hundreds of “I am being ignored” candidates. (Accept the fact that you cannot give acknowledgment to each and every applicant).
2. Keep it simple and give multiple options to apply: design a robust yet simple website where applicants can not only apply but also view updates and status of their application. You can also give them multiple options to apply , allow them to call an apply allow them to apply on your official facebook/twitter/LinkedIn page.
3. Give a personal touch and make it interesting: It starts from your first mail/ call. Change your script completely, instead of using boring statements like “we have a job opening” say “Hi (Candidate name) I was going through your resume and it looks good for one of the openings that we have, just wanted to check if you are interested to join us." If candidates?have come for the interview, Offer them?a cup of coffee, ask them about how they have come for the interview if they have come by public transport guide them to the nearest bus stop, Keep a smile on your face: this creates a lot of positivity.
4. Communication is king: give complete information about your interview process to all your candidates and keep them updated at every stage of the hiring process. Even if the candidate gets rejected inform him, call him up instead of just sending a mail. Close the loop: You can say “hard luck buddy, unfortunately we have a negative feedback for your this time but you can definitely try next time”
5. Appreciate their Time : You must appreciate candidates time as they will appreciate yours, ask your hiring managers to update the feedbacks as soon as possible, Keep the hiring process short: Refine it.
6. Ask for feedbacks and suggestions : Ask them questions like

????i. How was your experience during the hiring process?

????ii.Were you given complete information about the job opportunity and the????????entire hiring process?

????iii.How was the recruiters/hiring managers behavior?

????iv.Were the recruiters approachable?

?????v. Do you have any suggestions for us?

7. Be available for candidates whenever they need to talk to you. Don’t make them bang their heads on your desk phone.

8. There is a significant time between the first call till the day the candidate joins. Utilize it: Make it a good experience for them.

?It?doesn't?cost you a penny to create a good candidate experience, with small?changes you can achieve a great success: If it matters to you.