Delivering a Better Candidate Experience

Every recruiter wants a full pipeline of talented executive candidates, and your candidate experience can make or break your ability to fill job vacancies. From the ease of the application process to communication during and after the interview, job seekers—especially candidates for executive positions—are judging companies by how they hire. With the current skills gap and low unemployment rate, these candidates are often in the driver’s seat, and a bad experience can make them cross your entire organization off their list.

Here are five things recruiters and companies can do to create a great candidate experience so you'll attract—and hire—great executive candidates.

Be Thoughtful In Your Outreach

 Confidentiality and professionalism are extremely important in executive recruiting, especially since you’re likely trying to attract a passive candidate. One study found that an overwhelming 97% of senior candidates want to be found and approached, and that the overwhelming majority of executive candidates prefer recruiters contact them through a private email address or online social networks. They want to be courted, which means you'll have to put in some effort.

Tap into your network to find a direct approach for communication, or research candidates online to connect with them through social media channels, whether it's LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. During the initial outreach, ensure candidates that your conversations will be strictly confidential.

Build Their Trust

Executive candidates will almost certainly be researching your company as much as you've vetted them, so it’s important to be immediately transparent about challenges of the position, as well as culture of the company. If they're going to consider leaving a high-level current position where they're firmly entrenched and comfortable, the candidate will want a sense of connection with the brand that makes it feel like an exciting opportunity.

Be forthcoming about what's expected, as well as about any potential issues that could be revealed during the interview process. Your goal is to build trust and relationships with the candidates before you both move forward.

Set Interview Expectations

When you’re inviting a candidate to engage with you in an interview, let them know about your process so they know exactly what to expect. For example, if you’re scheduling a phone call between a candidate and the hiring manager, tell them how long it should take, who will be calling and their role with the company. It's also helpful to send reminder emails and calendar invites about the interview.

An in-person interview will require a few more details for the candidate, like how the company structures the interview process and with whom they'll be meeting. In addition to telling them how long it should take, information about the campus, dress code and meal options for the day are minor but important details that the candidate will notice as part of their experience. Even something as seemingly impertinent—like how to enter the building, where they can park and even nearby road construction that can potentially hinder their travel—can contribute to that candidate experience. 

Keep the Candidate in the Loop

Be as transparent as you can to keep candidates updated throughout the process. Provide a clear timeline on when you plan to provide updates—and stick to it, if only to tell them you have no update. When something changes and the next step will take more time, let the candidate know so they're not left in the dark. Not only is it obviously the professional and courteous thing to do, it lets them know you've received it and that they remain on your radar.

A survey from Robert Half found that 57% of candidates say waiting a long time to hear back is the most frustrating part of the hiring process, so if the candidate sends a follow-up email, be sure to respond—because the longer they wait, the worse they'll rate your candidate experience. And if you've decided to not move forward with a candidate, let them know as soon as possible.

 Stay in Touch—Even After the Interview

If you’ve made a good connection with a candidate but the job didn’t work out, ask if they’d like to be considered for future openings. Use an applicant tracking system to stay in touch, and use automated reminders to reach out every so often to touch base and see where they are in their career and job search. If you’ve done your job and provided an excellent candidate experience, they will happily welcome your messages and updates.

Recruiters who are really serious about improving the candidate experience can also send a survey after the interview. Inquire about their experience—from the initial contact to the final interview—and ask if there are areas where you can improve the process. Candid feedback is always valuable when you're using it to improve.

Final Thoughts

 Investing in a strong candidate experience can benefit recruiters as much as the job seeker by improving the quality of hires as much as 70%, according to Glassdoor. Make sure your candidate experience is as outstanding as your employee experience by representing your company's culture and values throughout the interview process.