The candidate experience is essential to a company’s ability to attract top talent. Unemployment is low and the competition for talent is tough, so it’s vital to get off on the right foot and create a positive impression. A lot can go wrong during the interview process, so striving for positive candidate experience is key.
- Be Expedient
One of the quickest ways to lose a candidate’s interest is by taking too long. The hiring process can take time and you should by no means rush a decision, but it’s important that you move things along as quickly as you can. Candidates who are left on the hook for too long may lose interest or get another offer, so if you like a candidate don’t drag your feet.
- Keep it Simple
The hiring process can be a bit tedious for candidates, so it’s important that you make it as simple as you can. From initially applying to onboarding, candidates should find the process easy to navigate. Optimize your processes wherever possible to make them user-friendly and candidates will be free to pay attention to all that the company has to offer, instead of spending time being frustrated.
- Be Communicative
Lack of communication is one of the most frustrating things for candidates. It is crucial to communicate the experience early on – tell candidates what they can expect at every stage of the process so that there aren’t any unwanted surprises. Even if they didn’t get the role, candidates still deserve to hear back from you. From the first interview until the final, keep the lines of communication open.
- Get Feedback
An often overlooked source of information, feedback can help you vastly improve your candidate experience by hearing directly from candidates. There are many ways to ask candidates for feedback, such as formally through a survey or informally during the interview process. The method you use isn’t important, but it is key that you put the feedback you gather to work and use it to optimize the hiring process.
- Be Accommodating
Candidates appreciate flexibility. When you are asking them to interview, you are asking them to take time out of their lives. It’s not always easy, so try to give them ample heads-up before an interview and make yourself as flexible as possible to accommodate them. Candidates will appreciate the consideration and the process will seem far less tedious for them.
Investing in your hiring process is critical to improving your candidate experience. There is a lot of competition for talent, so your ability to find and hire the best employees will be contingent on your ability to engage them during the critical hiring process.
