It goes without saying that a huge number of people lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This means that millions more people were added to the job market, and for some, it was the first time they had experienced job hunting in several years. This increase in candidates means that more eyes than ever are analyzing your organization as an employer.<\/p>\n
This increased scrutiny from potential new employees may have you thinking – how can I stand out from the competition, and attract the very best talent? The answer lies in your candidate experience, which refers to how you treat candidates during the recruitment process.<\/p>\n
The response most people get to their earnest job application is akin to a field full of crickets. Not much. And the second most common response is an impersonal notification from the job board that the candidate\u2019s application is unlikely to progress.<\/p>\n
The latter is closure, at least, but the candidate isn\u2019t able to contact the organization and ask for feedback. They\u2019re blocked by a nameless, faceless obstruction and it is incredibly disheartening. When feedback is rare, candidates dissect the messages they do<\/i>\u00a0receive. Candidates discuss these messages with friends and family and focus on\u00a0how<\/i>\u00a0the feedback was delivered.<\/p>\n
If the feedback they get doesn\u2019t align with the way you\u2019ve portrayed your organization online, the candidate becomes disillusioned and walks away with a negative perception of your brand. With a bad taste in their mouths, candidates might share their negative experience more widely and do significant damage to your Employer Brand.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n And they wouldn\u2019t be totally unfounded either. Improving candidate experience doesn\u2019t take that much \u201cmore\u201d from the organization, and goes a lot further than one might expect at first glance.<\/p>\n Candidate care is much more than merely responding to a candidate\u2019s application. It should be part of your recruitment marketing strategy before you even place the first job ad.<\/p>\n Quick, accessible application processes always win<\/strong><\/p>\n Think about the process and requirements you set for your candidates. Do you require candidates to get through a series of screening questions, or have them answer several lengthy questions on your site before they can submit their resume? Do you ask candidates to submit a tailored cover letter right out of the gate, or can they come back and amend their application later? What about portals? Requiring candidates to create an account and log in before they can even apply is a bit much, surely.<\/p>\n The more you can simplify the application process, the more likely candidates are to apply. It\u2019s increasingly important to think about the experience from the candidate\u2019s perspective, particularly in such a competitive market. If your role is easier and more enjoyable to apply for, you\u2019ll attract more candidates than your competitors. Similarly, your shortlisting process must consider the needs and wants of the candidates.<\/p>\n Some simple steps to take include:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n If that isn\u2019t enough to motivate a change in the application process, consider this: job board algorithms no longer focus on the recruiter\u2019s experience with their platform, they focus on improving candidate experience. Job boards now aim to show more relevant job ads to their users so that they can make their applications faster.<\/p>\n How an organization\u2019s ad shows up on job boards is different, too. Previously, having insider knowledge on the best keywords and job titles to use was enough to attract candidates to a new role. Now, job board algorithms adjust to a candidate\u2019s current search criteria, their past search history, and the resume they\u2019ve uploaded to the platform. An organization\u2019s vacancy is ranked higher or lower in the candidate\u2019s search results based on all these factors.<\/p>\n So, the\u00a0recruitment marketing strategy must incorporate improving candidate experience if there\u2019s any hope of attracting great talent. Think about how the organization will best target and engage the best talent strategically to ensure their ads are being seen by the \u201cright\u201d people.<\/p>\n When hiring, particularly in a traditional HR manager role, it\u2019s difficult to find the time to nurture every aspect of the recruitment process. They have to wear many different hats, so to speak, and there\u2019s scarcely time to wear them all and get anything worthwhile done. It makes sense that certain parts of the recruitment processes are neglected in favour of tasks that explicitly meet KPIs, like\u00a0shortlisting and selection. Many people still think of automation and AI as an inhuman entity that replaces humans in the workplace. But, if the human element of recruitment is already missing on account of being time-poor, isn\u2019t automation the answer to improving candidate experience?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s move away from the negative language around AI, for example, as being \u201cinhuman\u201d, and start instead to think about how automation and AI support the recruitment process. Automation carves out space for the hiring manager to achieve more through their connection with candidates.<\/p>\n For example, everyone knows that it\u2019s imperative to let a candidate know when their application is unsuccessful. Yet, many hiring managers hedge their job ads with statements like, \u201cIf you don\u2019t hear from us within two weeks, consider yourself unsuccessful.\u201d The expectation already is that the HR manager won\u2019t have enough time to care for the candidates. This doesn\u2019t feel good for anyone involved.<\/p>\n Instead, automated tools are improving candidate experience and empowering hiring managers to drive strategic goals as well. If one organization cares more for the candidate pool than another, who are the candidates most likely to engage with further?<\/p>\n For example, whether or not a candidate\u2019s application is successful, organizations can improve their employe<\/a>r brand\u00a0by sending candidates through a journey, engaging the candidates about their brand and values. Now, your candidates have an opinion about your brand. Think about it: you\u2019d never try to sell a product or promotion with just one email, right?<\/p>\n Good automation frees up time for recruiters to do their best work. Call the candidates, discuss their experiences, and take the time to do something more considered. Communication always trumps no communication, and automation empowers an organization to communicate more and more often without pouring more and more time into the project.<\/p>\n Setting up systems to support candidate care is vital to consistent talent acquisition. There are several tools available to help organizations take care of their candidates and get the best results out of the recruitment process. Whether the organization has a full team of recruiters or a single HR officer who\u2019s run off their feet trying to attract talent to their vacancy, robust talent acquisition software<\/a> helps organizations of every shape and size to care for their candidates. For help streamlining your candidate experience and taking better care of the talent you do\u00a0<\/i>attract,\u00a0contact Scout Talent Group\u00a0to talk about our recruitment software and services offering.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Enjoyed this article? Get similar content straight to your inbox with our bi-weekly newsletter. Sign-up below to subscribe.Recruitment Marketing tips for improving candidate experience<\/h4>\n
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Job boards tailor themselves to candidate experience<\/h6>\n
Using automation to improve candidate experience<\/h4>\n
Set your team up for success<\/h4>\n
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