What are the benefits of a positive candidate experience in the hiring process?

What are the benefits of a positive candidate experience in the hiring process?

There are many benefits to potential employees experiencing a positive hiring process with a company. Not only does a positive candidate experience aid in helping the candidate feel more relaxed and content in the hiring process, but it also helps the company in many ways, whether the candidate gets the role or not, which we will discuss.

What is the candidate experience?

The candidate experience falls under many categories and moments that a candidate endures during their hiring process. A good way to describe the candidate experience is by the emotions the candidate feels during this journey- ‘The Candidate experience reflects a person’s feelings about going through a company’s job application process’ (Thibodeau, 2022). One may think from these descriptions that the candidate experience only happens during the interview stages, however, the candidate experience ranges from the interview process to them looking at the company website, career site and reading the reviews on sites such as Glassdoor and Indeed. For example, if a candidate reads a number of negative reviews about the company from past employees, even if their interview goes well, they are likely to still have a negative perception, or be more wary of this company, compared to a company who obtains many positive reviews. Therefore, it is vital companies work on their image, ethos and brand internally before they start to look externally for new additions.

How to create a positive candidate experience

There are many key ways a company can create a positive candidate experience. Let’s take a look at some of the most crucial:

·????????Technology: We live and work in a world now that depends highly on technology and its advancements. This is no different for the recruitment world, there are many ways recruiters and companies can use technology to aid in the recruitment process and create a more positive candidate experience. The benefits of using technology in the recruitment process is how time-saving it is. This will be positive to one’s experience both for the company and for the candidate. A few ways companies can use technology to their advantage is:

·????????Video Interviews: Using video platforms such as Skype, Zooms or Teams are great ways for companies and recruiters to move the interview process on quicker. When a recruiter has top talent, they should seize the moment and not spend too long waiting for and scheduling interviews. When it is this easy to see, speak to and lock in a candidate electronically in the early stages of their recruitment journey, companies would be losing out if they didn’t use this to their advantage.

·????????AI in Recruitment Marketing: AI is impacting everywhere, and recruiters should use new recruiting technology to improve both their job, and streamline the candidate’s process. AI in recruitment marketing is great in providing ‘detailed insights into candidate and client behaviours. New technologies could allow recruitment companies to analyse customer behaviour and in turn, provide personalised content, targeted adverts and a tailored online experience’ (McLoughlin, 2020).

·????????Another way to create a positive candidate experience is for recruiters and companies to Personalise their communications with candidates: This is pretty easy, just talk to your candidate like they are human. Many candidates, especially top talent, will be able to sniff out a recruiter translating off of a template, and a recruiter talking to a candidate with a personalised message. It is all about trying to build a relationship with the other individual as quickly as you can. Therefore, being politely casual may work well in attracting and creating a positive experience for candidates in the early stages.

·????????Provide and ask for feedback from candidates: Some ways a company can go wrong is giving feedback to candidates, rejected or not, but not asking for it back. This is not a beneficial way for a company to create a positive experience for candidates and it may come across like the company feels they are too superior to receive feedback. Asking for feedback from candidates can ‘improve your hiring process, get more talent in the door, [and] boost your employer brand’ (Qualtrics, 2022). For the candidate, they feel appreciated by the company and are likely to speak positively to others about how the company values their potential employees and staff’s opinions.

·????????Tell the candidate what’s going on: Your candidate has a life, and one of the most important parts of living for most individuals is knowing what’s going on with their job status. Therefore, it is crucial recruiters and companies keep their candidates updated on their process, as well as giving them advice and tips for future interviews. A candidate having one point of contact during their interview process can be a beneficial way at strengthening candidate-recruiter relationships, and making the candidate feel more comfortable on their interview process journey.

·????????Companies getting employees involved: Whether this be who the candidates may be working with if they were to get the job, or just so the candidate can get a feel for what type of culture they might be entering if they were to join the company. This idea, later on in a candidates interview process, is a beneficial way at fusing the candidate with the company and in turn making them feel more relaxed, open, and at ease with the decisions they are making within their candidate journey.

·????????Onboard correctly: ‘Gallup finds that only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organisation does a great job onboarding new employees’ (Gallup, 2022). If a new employee is feeling uncomfortable and lost on their first day with a company, this is not a good start to the end of the interview process journey and something has to change. Even if their interview process has been positive so far, but they experience a negative first day, everything that has been good so far diminishes. It is essential employers sit down older employees and tell them the steps for the candidates first day, or appoint a certain individual, maybe a manager, to be a point of contact for the new employee in their first few months with the company.

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Key to all of this is the willingness of the candidates to embrace the process doing it half heartedly is not acceptable, if you want the job you have to work for it. Do what you said you would do. Why? Because you will be measured throughout the process not just on what you deliver.

The benefits of creating a positive candidate experience

There are many benefits to companies creating a positive candidate experience for potential employees. Some are:

·????????Strengthen the company’s brand: Creating a positive candidate experience is usually the last step to a brand strengthening their overall organisational reputation for existing employees and new ones. Usually, a company that creates a positive experience for candidates are the same ones with a strong business ethos, company culture and inclusion for their employees.

·????????Improved staff retention rates for the company: Usually candidates who have been through the interview process and have had a positive experience will be able to predict what type of company they will be working with. This leads to improved onboarding and retention rates as the candidate will be able to determine whether the company and their culture is a good fit for them. If they have worked for it, they will value it more.

·????????Great word-of-mouth: Whether a company ends up hiring the candidate or not, if the potential employee has experienced a positive candidate experience with a business, they are likely to talk positively about them to friends, family and colleagues. This will make the hiring process in the future easier for recruiters searching for candidates for the same company.

·????????Productive employees: Positivity breeds positivity. Candidates who have had a positive candidate experience are likely to translate into a positive employee who is interested in working for and producing results for the company.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is essential recruiters and companies work to improve their company culture and brand internally. ‘77% of candidates who have a positive Candidate Experience will share it with their networks [and] 65% of rejected candidates who had a positive Candidate Experience will be likely to do business with [a company] again’ (Starred, 2022). Businesses will need to look inward initially so the recruitment process is a more comfortable experience for potential employees. Both the candidate and the company are gaining something from the candidate experience and companies should fine tune what they want out of it- and what types of reviews they want on Glassdoor!

Positive communication at every twist and turn is critical.

References:

Gallup. (2022) Why the Onboarding Experience Is Key for Retention. Available at: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/235121/why-onboarding-experience-key-retention.aspx

McLoughlin, S. (2020) The Impact of AI on Recruitment Marketing. Available at: https://www.mantellassociates.com/blog/2020/10/the-impact-of-ai-on-recruitment-marketing

Qualtrics. (2022) Why you should ask for candidate feedback. Available at: https://www.qualtrics.com/uk/experience-management/employee/candidate-feedback/

Starred. (2022) Why is Candidate Experience important??Available at: https://www.starred.com/ebook-chapter/why-is-candidate-experience-important

Thibodeau, P. (2022) Candidate experience. Available at: https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/candidate-experience