What is candidate experience and how do you get it right?

Hey Talent Trackers!

Welcome to Week 6 of The Talent Track! Last week, we talked about how to get skills based hiring right, at least from the core skills point of view but, what happens when you hire that person? Do you know how they felt through the interview process? Are they joining your business because they are amazed with the product and team or because they have to...?

This week, we address all these questions, we will talk about candidate experience and how it’s all about something that can make or break your hiring and overall team's success: the candidate experience.

What is “candidate experience,” exactly?

Now, candidate experience is one of those terms difficult to track because it is difficult to have a strict timeline that shows it. Some businesses focus on their interview process, some of them give a lot to their employer branding and, some others create super exciting onboarding processes. So, where do we track it? Everywhere! In all of those parts of the process and ever further along I'd argue.

In simple terms, it’s how people feel from the moment they stumble your business name (whether a website, a LinkedIn post, a podcast or an add in the newspaper) to the second they get an offer (or a polite rejection) and even further along into onboarding.

1. Candidate learns about your business
2. Candidate sees job
3. Candidate goes through interview process
4. Candidate accepts job offer
5. Candidate goes through onboarding
6. Candidate becomes employee

All those are candidate experience processes, a lot of companies change the name to employee experience at the hired stage however, a lot of companies simply stop tracking this. The new hire has been onboarded, so now it should be up to them? Guess what, a lot of those employees in the latter businesses go from being potential high performers to average talent.

If you’ve ever gone through a painfully slow hiring process or got zero feedback after an interview, you know how frustrating it can be. A positive candidate experience, on the other hand, can boost your reputation, help you hire faster and create a team environment that improves retention.

Believe me it matters! Some of the reasons why:

• Attracts the best talent. If you are smashing it at what you do, you want to be in businesses that allow you to grow, to move forward, you want to be in environments that are based in your values and where you can give it your best (not talking about the biggest companies, I am talking about the best environments). Best talent, looks for the best opportunities. Whether you hire them or not, believe me candidates talk!
• Improves your employer brand. A great candidate experience will not only get a great new hire for your team but, best of all, a strong brand ambassador. Remember, from other newsletters, treat your candidates like you'd treat your clients (hopefully that is amazing).
• Keeps the door open. Some extremely successful hires in my past have been Silver medallists. They were not right for the first role they applied for but, they got the call the back for their perfect fit. Imagine if they had a bad candidate experience, would they come back and accept a job? Hell no! And that would be a great hire you'd miss on.

So, some actual tips on this...

To improve EB before a candidate applies:

1. Showcase your team. Welcome new starters, create videos about projects, share news on achievements for your team.
2. Create a sense for your culture online. Regularly share company activities, values and other goals the business has a whole.
3. Success stories. Your colleagues deserve the recognition and believe the will feel the appreciation.

Once you have a job to hire for and want candidates to apply:

1. Make sure your JDs attract candidates instead of repelling them. Be concise, to the point and give candidates a real sense of the job.
2. Create structured interview process. Who do you need in your interviews and what do you need them for.
3. Assess and score properly. Create scorecards and question banks, invest time in creating tools that allow you to be consistent with your hiring. Make sure you are evaluating their skills, their knowledge and don't forget about the attitude, it can make or break your team.
4. Be swift and fair with your offers. Nothing worse than hiring someone feeling under appreciated.

When a candidate accepts your offer:

1. Make sure you don't stop tracking their experience. As mentioned above, this is an ongoing process whether you call it candidate or employee experience.
2. Create an environment that allows for growth and development. Make sure your 1-2-1's are razor focused and that you address what you need to address. If half of your 1-2-1 goes into non relevant stuff for any of you, you might be missing the whole point.
3. Work with your HR team, to improve team conditions and environment, benefits and other things that might make your team feel appreciated.
4. Give your team flexibility. Underrated these days but a hugely important thing to many out there.
5. Make sure you keep checking in and asking the right questions to know how your team feels. Ask the right questions and you will get the right answers.

Next Up

Next week, we’ll look at DE&I and why it’s more than a buzzword and how it can genuinely strengthen your hiring process and overall culture. Until then, have an amazing week!

If you have you been on the receiving end of a great (or awful) candidate experience, reply or leave a comment. I’d love to hear about it and what you’ve learned.

Cheers,

Jose Lazaro, Founder & Host,

The Talent Track