How Hiring Teams can improve Candidate experience

Your Recruitment process is your first impression as a potential Employer to future Employees. Often, its their first impression of how they will be treated by you potentially if they were to join your Team or Department. Personally - I like to think of the recruitment process itself as one of the most important "sales" you have to make in order to attract and sustain the interest of Candidates during your Interview process.

Here are some tips to help you accomplish that - while you're going through these, make a note of how well you are doing each as well as any areas of improvement you think your Organization can make to the current way of doing things:

1. Have your ducks in a row. If you're not entirely sure about what you're looking for in an ideal Candidate, what their responsibilities will entail, what their day-to-day will look like, your expectations, or maybe you're uncertain about whether you even have the budget to hire at the moment - then you'll be wasting their time, and word might get around that your Organization is a complete waste of time to Interview with. This is a common complaint I hear from Candidates who decide not to move forward with an Organization: that they didn't seem to know what they were looking for and weren't able to share any details of the work expected. This ultimately lessens their confidence in this being a real work opportunity they can consider. So, Hiring Teams: step your game up - if you're serious about hiring, then understand its game time!
2. Provide an overview of the process. In my experience, people are much more understanding of any delays or hiccups along the way (and this can certainly happen in recruitment) when they have a fairly clear idea of the process from start to finish. Something I try to communicate is what the Interview process will look like from start to finish, expected feedback timelines, the people they will be meeting/speaking with along the way, etc. Its when people are left in the dark that they get pissed off and agitated. This is especially important if you happen to have a lengthy Interview process. Being transparent about the process and maintaining communication goes a long way in keeping and building the relationship and ensuring they stay invested in the process.
3. Keep them in the loop. If you say you're going to get back by Thursday at 3PM. Then do it. If you say you'll be circling back to schedule them for the next Interview round - then do it. If you can't or won't be - then don't do it. And if you can't do it - let them know you can't. Set reminders on your phone or your Calendar application to ensure you get back to Candidate when you say you will. Even if you'll be getting back to convey bad news such as a delay in the decision making process or even that they are rejected - most Candidates will greatly appreciate your professionalism and commitment to keeping your word getting back to them as you said you would. This goes a long way in creating a great impression on your Organization. Again - what frustrates mostly people is simply not knowing what's happening behind the scenes and not being kept updated about where they stand in the process.
4. Set communication/follow-up guidelines. Expect people who are highly interested in working for your Organization to follow-up. In fact, set the follow-up guidelines up front and let them know the best way to follow-up with you. Do you prefer email or phone? They won't know unless you let them know. And when they do reach out to you, how soon can they expect you to get back to them? This will allow people to set realistic expectations when it comes to communicating with you and know the timelines for hearing back from you. Do not intentionally ignore follow-up communication from Candidates actively interviewing with your Organization, and try to acknowledge them with a response when you have a moment. I can tell you from personal experience as a Recruiter, people appreciate responses to their communication - even if it takes a day or two. But being completely ignored despite several follow-up attempts does not help give that positive first impression of your Organization.

The Recruitment process is at the front-lines of giving a positive impression of your Organization's brand. I hope the above simple and easy to implement tips help you in ensuring you're giving a great Candidate experience to the people who are actively interviewing with your Organization. Even those who end up not getting the job with you will leave with a positive experience of you and your Company.

If you're an Organization in Canada and need help with your next IT hire, reach out to me and let me know more about your hiring plans and I'd love to see if I can personally help you: [email protected]

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Dean Kulaweera

IT Recruiter & Founder, Tech Recruiters 360. Dean is a Recruiter specialized in the recruitment of mid-level and senior-level IT Professionals primarily in the Greater Toronto Area of Canada, and has been a keynote or panelist speaker at over 40 events across North America speaking about the job search and recruitment. To contact Dean, email [email protected]