A Positive Candidate Experience Is Critical to Business
While not as red-hot as it has been over the last few years, the labor market remains tight and favors employees.
According to a new World Economic Forum’s report that explores how jobs and skills will evolve over the next five years, finding top talent won’t get any easier for employers. Although respondents were confident in their ability to develop their existing workforce, they are more pessimistic regarding talent availability in the next five years. “Accordingly,” says the report, “organizations identify skills gaps and an inability to attract talent as the key barriers preventing industry transformation.”
So how does an employer gain and sustain an edge in a market such as this?
Providing a good candidate experience during the recruitment and hiring process can help your company attract top talent. A report from Talent Board found that 70% of candidates were likely to refer a company to others based on their experience. And with 20–40% of hires coming from referrals, this makes candidate experience crucial for future hiring.
Candidates are likely to share their experience with both their inner circles (friends, colleagues, etc.) as well as publicly (social media and online reviews). This is great for companies that have invested in shaping an impactful candidate experience: candidates with a positive experience are willing to share that experience with friends and online 77% and 53% of the time, respectively. The opposite is true as well: those with a negative experience shared their feelings 56% (inner circle) and 32% (online) of the time.
If candidates are unhappy with the recruitment and hiring process, it impacts more than just that potential hire; a bad experience may make those in their networks (or those who read a bad online review) less likely to apply to a company. To connect with skilled talent, companies should invest in improving the candidate experience.
Take Steps to Improve the Candidate Experience
Improving the candidate experience requires a stem-to-stern approach, beginning with the job application and continuing through the collection of candidate feedback at the end of the hiring process.
Simplify the Application Process
Traditionally considered the gateway to new employment, the job application has instead become more of a deterrent. Nearly 60% of job seekers quit in the middle of filling out a job application. Simplifying the application process can ensure you aren’t losing out on quality candidates because of needless complexity.
Also consider enhancing your career page. Make sure your job descriptions are up to date and accurate. Be realistic about roles and qualifications, and don’t include too many “nice-to-haves.” This will more effectively reveal talent with the skills you need. At the same time, it will reduce frustration for candidates who may feel like they’ve been misled by the job description.
Focusing on “need-to-haves” instead of “nice-to-haves” can also help you find better diversity in your candidates. Examine your education requirements as well and consider if they may be weeding out qualified talent.
Highlight Company Culture During the Interview
Ensuring a candidate is a good culture fit is important for retention efforts. Employees who feel a connection to company culture are 55% less likely to look for other job opportunities.
Showcasing your company culture and employee value proposition during the recruitment and interview process helps a candidate learn more about your company’s values. This helps both of you figure out if the candidate may be a good match.
Provide Consistent Communication
Fifty-two percent of job seekers say a lack of response from employers is their biggest frustration during the job search. Seventy-six percent of them go as far as to say that not hearing back from an employer after a job interview is more frustrating than not hearing from someone after a first date.
Over 65% of candidates say they never or rarely hear from an employer about the status of their application. Of those who do, 51% say it takes one month or more.
Process applications quickly, because providing candidates with timely feedback and decisions helps them view your company in a more positive light. This may make them more likely to accept your offer, apply for another position or recommend your company to a friend or colleague.
Gather and Implement Candidate Feedback
It’s hard to make process improvements in a vacuum, yet 78% of candidates report never being asked for feedback following the hiring process.
That’s why it’s important to collect candidate feedback. You can improve your company’s candidate experience by hearing firsthand from candidates. Ask them their thoughts on the recruitment and hiring process through surveys or conversation. Then find commonalities within the input and identify ways to enhance the candidate experience.
Find a Partner Who Prioritizes Candidate Experience
In this job market, an employer needs every edge possible. A staffing recruitment expert like Aston Carter can support you throughout the recruitment and hiring process.
Aston Carter can find qualified candidates from our deep pool of nationwide talent. Moreover, we can communicate with candidates on your behalf and gather feedback to better inform the candidate experience process.
Aston Carter specializes in placing accounting, finance, human resources, procurement, talent acquisition and administrative professionals. Together, we’ll find the difference-making talent you seek.
Contact Aston Carter to discuss how enhancements to your current recruitment strategies could help shape a better candidate experience
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