Every business measures their performance by the revenue they make, annual profits and how satisfied their clients and users are. Candidates applying for jobs within the company are now part of the external stakeholders list too. It is imperative for companies to enhance the candidate experience in order to build credibility within their respective industries and become the employer of choice. In today’s day and age, how a candidate feels about the company once they experience the hiring process is a key measure to the company’s success and credibility.
There are various candidate touch points during the recruitment journey which need to be carefully ideated, planned and executed. I will discuss these touch points and what employers can do to make sure candidates have a seamless and positive experience. A truly good candidate experience is one where even an unsuccessful candidate comes out of the process thinking ‘Shame, I didn’t make it, but I’d definitely like to apply here again’
Engaging Employer Brand
Candidate experience begins as soon as one starts planning to hire for the role. The process that is strategised with the hiring manager and other relevant stakeholders needs to be candidate focussed. The job-related content getting published on one’s website and various other job boards must be engaging enough to interest a prospective candidate into applying for the role. The content should capture details not just about the role, but also about the company, it’s founder(s) (especially relevant for start-ups), what it’s like to work there etc. Video content links on the job description, or on the careers page tends to work very well and getting employees from different teams involved helps create an authentic experience. It gives the candidate a feel of the company and its diversity. Almost every candidate I speak to always visits the careers page and has a look at the various videos we have created as a part of our employer branding strategy.
Quick & Intuitive
The hiring process needs to be crisp and easy to follow. One of key factors in making this possible is to have a sophisticated application tracking system (ATS). In a small to medium sized company, the leadership could think it’s an expensive investment to make. However, there are several good ATSs in the market that fit any budget. If your HR & Talent Team have a generous budget for software and tools, then certainly add Ashby, Screenloop & Greenhouse to your shortlist. It is extremely seamless, intuitive and have a fantastic reporting and insights tool. For self employed Talent Acquisition professionals, I've come across a tool recently that helps you centralise all your sourcing and candidate management, it's called SuperHR. It's a one of a kind tool enabling contractors/consultants to manage their candidate details, outreach more seamlessly. It has a web version and is also available to download on the Play store.
Some of the factors we assessed, when I was a project lead for the HR & Recruitment software implementation were – Cost, Quality of Customer Care, Level of customisation, Frequency of Releases, Layers of Privacy. The last two points also serve to give an insight into how much the company is investing in its technology and security.
As a candidate, it makes me want to apply for the role, when the interface is pleasant to look at with a concise process. I have also observed that a lot of the companies in financial services, consultancy and insurance space tend to use reputable but clunky software and as a candidate, it has deterred me from applying as soon as I click on the ‘Apply Link’. They are not intuitive, extremely slow and lots of bugs when it comes to login details. It’s important to move with the changing times and obtain a license from some of the newest software which are seamless and easy to use for today’s jobseekers.
Clear & Regular Communication
At every stage, the candidate should be informed well in time of what to expect. A survey done by Talentegy in 2019, stated that a whopping 63% of candidates have a poor candidate experience due to lack of communication.
Communication begins from the point of first contact where candidates are invited for the initial call via email. At Clearscore, where I currently work, we have prepared a toolkit for what candidates can expect on that first call. This is sent out along with the initial email with the aim of helping candidates prepare better and boosting their confidence. We follow a similar process for the face-to-face interviews and send out an elaborate interview toolkit.
Setting SLA’s for the Talent team is another good way to ensure the candidate experience is not compromised. The SLA’s should include, amongst other things, turnaround times for every stage in the process and detailed feedback to all candidates, especially the unsuccessful ones. As the candidate has taken the time and made the effort to apply and/or attend a series of interviews, (s)he is entitled to know, in detail, why they have been unsuccessful. Providing feedback is a way of thanking the candidate.
At Clearscore, we have department specific hiring channels on slack, wherein the talent team and relevant managers discuss the application and technical test in detail. After every face to face interview, all interviewers along with the talent team meet to discuss the candidates’ performance in detail based on pre-set criterion and decide on the outcome. This helps us give candidates tailored feedback. Additionally, companies are slowly incorporating candidate feedback surveys in their process, it really helps employers understand their candidates better and constantly look at ways to improve their hiring process.
Go the Extra Mile
In my true signature style, saving the best for last. Treat every candidate as if they’ve already joined your business and your approach will be more authentic and personalised.
I focus on establishing a good connection with the candidates I speak to and always look for ways to ‘go the extra mile’ to make them feel at ease and allow them to be the best version of themselves. I have also observed that when I’m recruiting for India, Australia & South Africa, my approach is fairly different and tailored to suit each of those markets. Indian candidates prefer a more informal approach and I find that to be very effective in dealing with them. For example, as I have a separate work phone, I specifically ask them to WhatsApp me when needed and often that has saved us from losing a good candidate due to the promptness of the communication channel used. Another case was when I made my first hire in Australia for a Senior Backend Developer, I remember as part of the final discussions, we exchanged notes and photos of our families. Similarly, in South Africa the warmth and honest chat goes a long way; I managed to get 8 solid junior backend developers to submit a considerably lengthy test within 48 hours whereas the average turnaround was 5 days. Tweaking and adjusting the process to fit the cultural nuances in different locations really helps create a very positive and memorable experience for the candidate.
I would like to conclude by saying that every employer should try and create a hiring process that creates an environment of trust and respect thereby enabling every candidate to be themselves.