To unearth top talent while helping your brand shine, five top tips for creating a best-in-class candidate experience. To see the complete list of improving the candidate experience and some bonus hints and tools to implement them, check out my ebook, The Hiring Manager’s Guide to Mastering the Candidate Experience.
We’re in a time when the job market has an abundance of active candidates, but you should never assume that this will make it easier to recruit top talent. In many ways, it can be much, much harder. In addition to a high volume of candidates to work through, you will have to contend with a lot more requests from candidates to connect with you on LinkedIn and more direct enquires via email, calls, messages, and referrals.
Applicants eager to land their next job typically understand that you don’t share their same sense of urgency. However, that doesn’t mean that you can leave them hanging with no idea of when they can expect to hear from you next.
You might be in a hurry, but I always caution against saying we are hiring ASAP in job ads. Effective recruitment takes time. At best, you may be able to hire someone in 2-6 weeks. At worst, it could take upwards of 8 weeks+. And the right talent will drop off if you don’t get this right from the start. That is a way to improve the candidate experience.
The biggest complaint that job seekers share is how often they’re left wondering about an application for a job they are excited about. They compulsively refresh their inboxes, waiting for any news about that open position.
This is why communicating well can be a tremendous asset to you as an employer. Especially in today’s information age and with all the tools available to be in contact at any moment with anyone, radio silence is a no-go.
Establishing primary email and/or text message templates for each stage of the process will reduce your workload. And by sending regular updates, you’ll further reduce the demands on your time from anxious candidates calling and emailing for news.
Here are the five templates I recommend creating to save time when responding to candidates:
One reliable way to improve candidate experience is to openly ask applicants about convenient timing for various interviews and meetings. With that information under your belt, you’re better able to work around those times. Even scheduling those conversations for later in the day (or even outside of business hours).
To make this process easier, you can use a scheduling tool such as Calendly, which lets the candidate select a convenient time from your chosen availability. In addition, these apps can usually integrate with video meeting tools such as Zoom. That will further streamline your screening or interview calls.
In today’s competitive hiring landscape, having top-notch candidate experience isn’t negotiable. However, it’s something that you need to actively work on to land the best talent for your organisation.
Not sure where to start? Put these tips to good use. And you’re bound to make a positive impression on every candidate that interacts with your company. You can also check out the entire ebook, including some extra advice on creating an inclusive candidate experience; email Laura Frazer.
