Employee Experience versus Engagement- and why does it matter.

I have 2 children- both of whom are now of-age to be in the workforce. Yes- the millennial generation. The thought process up until now- and remaining in many companies- is employee engagement. We need to keep our employees engaged- and excited about our company, our vision, our insert whatever that might be here. Because then they will stay. But I will share with you what I saw happen with both of my kids when they started doing job applications- and now that they have both been hired- the engagement starts with the experience. Let me tell you why with one experience from my older child…

It started with the job application- yes- believe it or not these younger kids do not fully understand that they need to fill out more than just their name and their Instagram handle to apply for a job. And that is where the experience starts. My kid started his application on his phone- I know it’s a duh moment here- but here is where it goes off the tracks. He could not complete his entire application on his phone. He had to go to a desktop to complete it. You would have thought he’d been asked to walk on hot coals. Aside from having to answer the questions of “why are they asking me Mom for all of this data; and why am I having to keep entering in my name into different places”- the experience he walked away from going through this job application was less than positive. His words? “Why are they making me do more work and hard for me to apply? Because if it is this hard to apply for a job I’m concerned what it will look like if I am hired.”

Employers take note: That experience can never be undone. And you bet he told his friends as well... about how horrible it was to try and use the “old laptop” we have at home. What are you asking your candidates to fill out and how are you asking it? And how will they need to complete that application?

The experience starts before they become an employee. If you are still focused on trying to engage and retain you are missing the boat. Because if they do not become an employee there is nothing to engage or retain.