Enhancing Candidate Experience: Strategies for a Positive Hiring Journey

Candidates who have a positive experience during the hiring process are more likely to accept job offers, stay engaged during onboarding, and advocate their companies as great places to work.

According to Gallup, 44% of respondents said the interviews they had with people hiring them influenced their decision to accept a job, and 21% indicated the “preview” of the company’s culture was also a consideration.

Furthermore, strong candidate experiences are directly related to longevity and happiness in a job. Another Gallup report indicates candidates with an “exceptional” experience are 3.2 times as likely to “strongly” agree they’re engaged and satisfied at work.

It’s clear there is a correlation between the candidate experience and finding good employees who connect to their employer’s brand. In this blog post, we’ll look at hiring process tips and candidate-centered strategies you can use to provide a positive candidate experience, which will ultimately attract and retain top talent.

Understanding Candidate Experience

The candidate experience includes all the interactions they have with you. This includes the application process, participating in interviews, communication throughout the duration of the process, company culture observations during interactions, feedback offered, and receiving a job offer.

Before you can take steps to improve the candidate experience, you’ll need to understand it from their point of view. Put yourself in their shoes and think about what they’re seeing. How they are treated will greatly matter.

Keep in mind that first impressions also matter – a lot. Remember, as you are evaluating your candidates, they’ll be evaluating your brand and culture as well.

Key Strategies to Enhance Candidate Experience

There are proactive candidate engagement strategies you can leverage to enhance the candidate experience to plant the seeds for good relationships with potential employees and nurture them.

• Offer clear communication: Provide honesty, transparency, and frequent communication during the hiring process – don’t keep candidates guessing.
• Show respect for candidates’ time: Streamline the application process and provide timely feedback – if you aren’t going to hire them, don’t string them along or if they are a serious contender, let them know.
• Use of technology. Leverage technologies to streamline the process, enhance interaction, and keep candidates updated on the status of their applications. Tools include job boards, premade assessments, applicant tracking systems (ATS), and mobile apps, to name a few.
• Provide feedback opportunities: Be sure to exchange feedback with candidates about the process from both your and their perspectives.

Additionally, you want to provide a personal touch to each interview. Don’t let candidates feel as if they are a file number. Instead, tailor the recruitment approach to show each candidate they are valued.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

To improve the candidate experience, reduce high turnover, and cultivate a happy workplace, avoid these pitfalls during the hiring process:

• Posting inaccurate or vague job descriptions
• Not recruiting internally
• Waiting for the perfect candidate (dragging out the process for other good candidates)
• Using unconscious bias
• Rushing to hire unqualified people for the position just to fill a vacancy
• Not fact-checking resumes or neglecting to call references

Another big mistake is not using technology to simplify and streamline the hiring process. Automation can greatly improve the process for both you and your job candidates.

Implementing Changes in Your Organization

If you aren’t receiving responses to your job listings, losing candidates during the hiring process or not receiving acceptances for your job offers, you might want to implement some actionable changes.

• Perform a gap analysis. Determine which positions you actually need and invest efforts into recruiting for those positions.
• Evaluate job postings. Is the job title clear and specific? Be sure candidates will know what they’re applying for, along with a good summary of responsibilities. Include other pertinent details, such as qualifications, salary range, location, how to apply, and use positive, active language.
• Use exit interview surveys. Solicit feedback from your candidates by asking them to provide feedback with their honest impressions. Ask questions about the length of the process, quality of communication, how informed they felt, and if there are areas of improvement.
• Assess candidate sourcing techniques. Look at how your company puts out feelers. Do you use a variety of recruitment channels, such as targeted outreach, job boards, professional networks, and social media?
• Ensure consistent screening. Evaluate how you ask questions and determine if they are consistent, fair, and objective.
• Use an applicant tracking system. Use ATS and any other automated tools to help expedite the process.

Additionally, you want to examine how you showcase your company culture and branding. Do you present your best when communicating with candidates? How often do you positively promote yourself in ads or on social media?

Transform Your Hiring Process Today!

If you want to attract top talent, it is worth investing in recruitment process enhancement initiatives. By prioritizing the candidate experience in your talent acquisition processes, you’ll not only appeal to the proverbial cream of the crop; you’ll lower your employee turnover rate, build a stronger company culture, and, ultimately, reduce your hiring costs.

Payroll Freedom is equipped to offer you specialized assistance in refining your recruitment strategies. Discover more about our tailored recruitment solutions. Contact Payroll Freedom to schedule a consultation to learn how we can help you create a standout candidate experience.