Copy of What is candidate care and why does it matter?

Last night at 7 p.m., I made a call to a candidate to help prepare her for an upcoming interview later this week. Right after that call, I reached out to another candidate who had just completed an all-day interview for a different role. I wanted to hear how it went and share the feedback I had already received from the hiring company.

I’m not required to do this, but if I were in their shoes, I'd appreciate knowing where I stand. This is part of what we call "candidate care" at RecruitNet Consulting Group, and it's something every organisation should prioritize, whether it's for an entry-level position, an executive role, or even a board seat.

What is candidate care?

Candidate care is about how you treat job candidates and the respect you show for their time. In a competitive job market, it becomes even more critical, as a poor first impression can be hard for a company to recover from.

It starts the moment a position is posted or when a job description is given to a recruitment agency. It continues throughout the hiring process and transitions into your employer value proposition, whether you extend an offer or part ways. Treating candidates well is always important, regardless of whether they get the job.

By the way, candidate care isn’t about the “thank you” gifts your company might give. While those are nice, they won’t undo the damage if you keep candidates waiting in the lobby, ask the same questions repeatedly, show up to interviews unprepared, or reschedule at the last minute—multiple times. No notepad, t-shirt, or water bottle can fix a negative experience.

Why candidate care matters

When you post a job today, your company is connecting with dozens, if not hundreds, of people. Multiply that by the number of roles you fill in a year, or over a decade, and the impact of candidate care becomes clear.

Interviewing creates an intimate connection between a company and a candidate. Get it right, and candidates can become great advocates for your organisation, eager to share their positive experience with their professional networks. To get a sense of their reach, just check their LinkedIn connections.

Why candidate care is crucial at the executive level

While treating all candidates with respect is important, it becomes even more critical when hiring executives. The time, effort, and resources invested in finding the right leader are substantial. Additionally, executive candidates are often well-regarded in their industries, and their opinions can influence others.

Even if a candidate isn’t offered the role, their positive assessment can affect future hiring efforts. Personally, I make a point to follow up with all candidates we send to our clients for interviews. They’re honest with me, and I would hate to hear them speak poorly of a client due to mistreatment during the process.

Who is responsible for candidate care?

Here’s a trick question—everyone is responsible for candidate care. While the hiring team is on the front lines, each person who interacts with a candidate should represent the company well, regardless of their title.

But saying you practice good candidate care isn’t enough. Someone needs to be accountable for defining what good candidate care looks like, reviewing outcomes, and adjusting the process as needed. This typically falls to HR, with support from other teams. However, HR isn’t the only department concerned with candidate care, it requires buy-in across the company.

Good candidate care starts with leadership. The Board and executive team should set the policies and culture that drive quality candidate care across the organisation.

Working with an external search firm or recruiter

Ensure that your external recruiting team also practices good candidate care. Ask them to outline their process, including how they handle candidates who are no longer being considered. How long do they wait to provide feedback? Have they left candidates hanging? Look for testimonials from former candidates to gain insights into how they treat potential hires. If your external recruiters aren’t sending out surveys to all candidates (and why aren’t they?), your internal team should. Most candidates are willing to share feedback about the process.

What does poor candidate care look like?

Most companies have room to improve their candidate care efforts. It’s essential to keep refining the process to attract top talent at all levels.

To evaluate your own candidate care, start by examining your current process. One top-five global pharma company realized it needed improvement after conducting a three-year survey of its interview process. A representative noted: “It generally took two weeks to build an itinerary and schedule the first interview. It took up to a month between interview rounds. It generally took up to a month from the last interview to make an offer. Almost half of all interview schedules were revised twice, and the majority of schedule changes were requested by the company.”

Clearly, it was time for a change.

Advice for improving candidate care

Remember, candidate care doesn’t end when someone is hired. Retaining top talent requires focusing on your employer value proposition and fostering a workplace culture that values all employees. This, in turn, enhances your candidate care efforts. Additionally, candidate care is an ongoing process that evolves as the talent pool and competition change. Companies that fail to adapt risk missing out on top talent and, ultimately, may find themselves competing against those same individuals when they join a competitor.

In the end, treating people well isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s good business!

At RecruitNet we make candidate care a priority - todays candidate may just be tomorrows client.