Candidate experience involves everything from the moment a candidate comes across a job description until they sign the contract or are told they were not chosen this time. It is how they feel about the brand after having engaged with our hiring process.
In any case, it is of the utmost importance that candidates have a positive experience; as this will have a big impact on our employer brand, will set us apart from the competition, and will help us secure top talent among others.
I’d like to share some advice on how to ensure an exceptional candidate experience.
- Write clear job adverts. Make sure you keep it simple, list the specific skills which are a must (skills better than years of experience), and the main duties for this role (main challenges this person will work on). Also include what your business offers to the chosen person, and what they can achieve by working in that company/role (growth). Read some more tips here.
- Thank. Make sure there is an automatic response to the candidate acknowledging the application, thanking them for it, and giving a timeframe for when to expect a response.
- Communicate early & often. Once a candidate is shortlisted, send an email explaining how the recruitment process works and the next step. It is important to mention what the next step is about if they need to prepare something or not. Also how the interview will happen (video call on zoom, phone call, etc.). Candidates want to know as much as possible to be ready. Reply to all their questions, and send them tips!
- Be kind, explain & listen. During the first call with the candidate make sure you create a safe environment where the candidate feels at ease to ask questions. Explain the role, the profile, and the personality you look for. Speak about the team, show you know your stuff. Discuss openly important things such as salary, contract, and location. Be clear.
- Engage! Make sure you keep the candidate engaged all over the process. Sometimes feedback takes longer than we wanted. Just tell the candidate about what is going on, and keep them warm.
- Salary. Explain what the salary range is for the role (if there is one), also the exceptions you are willing to make based on experience. Explain how you set up salaries, and why it is important to know candidates’ salary expectations from the beginning so they can understand why you need to know.
- Feedback. Give & ask for feedback after each step of the process. This can be automated, if possible, or else you can prepare a template that you can just amend & send. When it comes to rejections, it is of the utmost importance to spend some time providing meaningful & constructive feedback.
- Connect. After a candidate finishes the process, make sure you connect with them, via LinkedIn, or any other platform. I usually add my Linkedin profile on the last email I exchange with them.
That is in a nutshell what I believe can help you provide an amazing experience to your applicants.
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