What Makes a Great Candidate Experience?

"My hiring experience was the main reason I chose to join this company over the other companies I interviewed with" said Mary when I asked what influenced her choice.

Congratulations. Despite the low unemployment rate, you managed to attract candidates to your job posting. You even have several candidates that you are interested in inviting to meet more of the team. How can you make the candidate experience itself a selling point for your company? Remember, this interview is a 2-way street.

Mary's Story

Mary arrived 5 minutes early for her 5pm interview and checked in at the lobby. The pleasant receptionist said someone would be there shortly. Mary was still in the lobby at 5.15pm. Finally, a harried-looking person showed up and escorted Mary to a meeting room. He told Mary that he was the recruiter for this position and started talking to her about a completely different role. Mary gently pulled out a copy of the job description that she was there for. The recruiter now looked even more harried and apologized. He said they should now go see the hiring manager who was one of the executives at the company. They rushed through various hallways only to find the executive's office empty. The recruiter assured Mary that the executive would be there soon and left her in the empty office.

Ten minutes later, the executive rushed into the room and was scrambling to find Mary's resume. Mary offered him a copy of the resume that she had brought with her. The executive rushed through some questions, when his cellphone rang. In the middle of Mary's response to one of his questions, he answered the phone and spoke with his significant other for a few minutes - right in front of Mary. After a few more questions, he told Mary that he was late for another meeting so he would have to end the interview and left Mary near the elevator to find her way out of the building again. Mary did not continue the conversation with this company.

Small Things That Make a Big Difference

Before the Interview

1. For phone interviews, be extra clear about who will be calling and on what phone number. The time wasted on simple miscommunications especially for short 30-minute phone screens is sad and just adds unnecessary stress. Keep things as simple as possible. For example, call the candidate's cell phone instead of a call-in number with a code. If you want to do a video call, opt for one that does not require a download. Let the candidate know about this ahead of time so they are not surprised.
2. Be on time. Whether it is a phone screen or in-person, show up on time. "My meeting was running late" is not an excuse. The candidate also cleared their schedule to show up on time. The small things matter and are "moments of truth". If things appear chaotic during the interview process, is that a sign of the environment the candidate will be working in?
3. Send the candidate a handy packet of information to help them be better prepared. Include:

• Interview schedule with names, titles and departments of interviewers. The interviewer list may change, but don't use that as an excuse for not sharing a list at all.
• Ideally, have the candidate come in at least 30-60 minutes after your team usually arrives at work. This will ensure that there is someone at the door, that the office feels full and busy with people, etc.
• Directions and parking information. If you are in an office complex or parking is hard to find, provide detailed directions, suggested parking lots, etc. This will make it less stressful for candidates and make it more likely that your carefully crafted interview schedule will actually start on time.
• Dress code. Whether your company prefers suits or sandals, let the candidate know what your company dress code is. You don't want them to stick out because they did not know.
• Helpful information about the company. Include links to recent news articles, announcements, history of the company, video links, etc. The more they know, the better they are likely to do during the interview. Help them be at their best.

The Interviews

1. Define which interviewers will cover which areas/questions so that any overlap is deliberate. You have a short amount of time to get a lot of information, so don't waste it with multiple people asking the same questions. Similarly, the candidate does not want to answer the same questions three different ways.
2. Assign a sponsor. This person is the candidate's "conceirge" during their interviews. Provide the candidate with the sponsor's cell number. The conceirge's job is to make sure everything is running smoothly and to handle the inevitable hurdles. The video conferencing system is not working, an interviewer called in sick, an executive meeting is running late and the candidate is just sitting there, etc. Make sure the candidate has time to have a snack, use the restroom, get water, etc. This could be someone in recruiting, the hiring manager, etc.
3. Wrap-up. The hiring manager will get quick, informal feedback from interviewers along the way. The wrap-up with the candidate at the end of the day is a good way to get the candidate's summary of their experiences across various interviewers. Were there inconsistencies? Any concerns that came up? What particularly appealed to the candidate? These are useful items to know before you present your dream candidate with an offer. If you can, give the candidate some company-branded items. It could be as simple as stickers or as nice as a branded water bottle or backpack.

After the interview

1. Work fast. You invested all this time to bring the candidate to meet your team. Work quickly to gather feedback and decide if you are going to move forward or not. Ideally, schedule the "debrief" session with interviewers for the following day, right when you schedule the interview. If your dream candidate is excited about your company, don't wait for the excitement to wane because of scheduling difficulties. Strike while the iron is hot.
2. Present the offer live. Some companies are able to work quickly and make an offer on the same day as the interviews. Some companies have a more formal debrief and will make an offer a few days after the interview. In any case, do this live - in person or over the phone. Don't just send an email. Share highlights of the "debrief" to convey the team's excitement about the candidate.

What made your candidate experience great? Share in the comments below.