5 Ways to Improve The Candidate Experience
When it comes to interviewing potential candidates, first impressions are crucial. Candidates only have a short amount of time to impress you, but the same is true for the recruiter trying to leave a lasting impression on the candidate. The candidate experience is imperative and can make or break someone’s decision of accepting a job offer. Many companies underestimate the power of word of mouth, especially when it comes to negative experiences. People love to share negative stories more than positive ones and can even dissuade their friends from applying to a company. Think about how many people you have to reject compared to those who actually get offered the job – it can play a major impact on your brand and the brands you are representing. Here are five ways your company can improve the candidate experience.
1. Be timely with your communication
One of the biggest pet peeves most job applicants have in common is receiving little or no communication from the recruiter at all. The interview process is stressful enough for people. So making them wait and wonder will make the experience even worse, especially if they never receive any follow up from your company. To avoid this from happening, contact all of the applicants frequently to let them know if they are still being considered for the position or if you have moved on. To go the extra mile, send out personal messages instead of auto-generated ones to avoid making people feel like they are just numbers. Keep in mind that all of the applicants took time out of their day - some even took off work - to come speak with you, so they deserve a phone call or an email.
2. Be transparent with your application process
Something else you can do for applicants is let them know what the hiring process will be like from start to finish. This gives them more reassurance by knowing what stage they are in and what the rest of the process will look like without anxiously thinking about it all the time. It also helps to be as detailed as possible with the job description, including the purpose and responsibilities of the role. Applicants should have a clear idea of what the position entails and what your company is looking for from the very beginning. There is nothing worse than going in for an interview only to realize you are not qualified for the job or company.
3. Introduce your team members to the candidates
To set your company apart from the rest, showcase a couple of your team members before and during the interview. Provide mini bios of each employee on the company website or LinkedIn to give applicants an idea of what the culture is like and if they consider themselves a good fit. Job seekers like knowing what to expect, and if they do their research, they will be able to build rapport with the interviewers. Many applicants like talking to more than one person during interviews because it gives them the opportunity to get a more well-rounded experience and feel important. Something to also keep in mind during the interview is to avoid asking generic questions. Just like the applicant took the time to research your company, you should do the same by already being familiar with their resume.
4. Give every candidate the opportunity to tell you everything they want you to know
There are times during an interview when an applicant does not have the chance to share an interesting fact or skill they were prepared to talk about due to time constraints. This can be frustrating for applicants since they end up leaving your office feeling like they didn’t get a chance to really show you what they are capable of. Next time you are interviewing someone, make sure you ask, “Is there anything else you would like me to know about you?” This allows the interviewee to take control at the end of the conversation and share everything they intended to. Most importantly, this will allow them to walk out with the satisfaction of knowing they truly gave it their all.
5. Provide constructive criticism to every candidate
This is something a majority of companies fail to do, but most candidates wish they received. When someone is notified that they did not get the job, the first thing they question is why and wonder what they could have done differently. It may seem harsh at first to tell someone exactly why they did not meet the job requirements, but in the end, they will be appreciative for actually getting the closure they want. This will show all of the applicants that your company genuinely cares about them, despite not getting hired, and leave a positive final impression. Constructive criticism also gives candidates an opportunity to improve on the skills they lack and be motivated to re-apply to your company in the future.
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