How to create a great candidate experience
What exactly is candidate experience, why is it so important, and how do you ensure you’re getting it right? Check out our guide to creating a great candidate experience to find out.
What exactly is candidate experience, why is it so important, and how do you ensure you’re getting it right? Check out our guide to creating a great candidate experience to find out.
Why is candidate experience so important?
Because 69% of candidates will NEVER apply to your company again if they’ve had a bad experience with you.
It's also likely to negatively affect your reputation as a brand, which could impact the number of candidates you attract for future roles.
But what exactly is candidate experience, and how do you ensure you’re getting it right?
In this blog post we’ll cover:
Candidate experience is defined as ‘how a job seeker perceives a company’s brand throughout the hiring process.’
They key word here? Throughout.
This includes every single touchpoint and interaction you have with a candidate. It’s your job ad itself, the recruiter’s approach and hiring processes, to the offer stage and beyond.
The number one thing to remember is that the candidate’s truest reflection of your values and culture is how you treat them during the hiring process!
The best way to measure your candidate experience is through candidate feedback, either anecdotally or through a questionnaire. Your employee retention rates and number of referrals will also give you a good indication.
As we’ve mentioned, candidates are much less likely to apply for a position with you again after a bad experience. They’re also much more likely to tell their friends about it..
In fact, 72% of people who have a negative experience will tell others about it, with one in five actively advising their peers not to apply. 9% will even ask others to boycott products! It’s not a good look.
BUT if you get it right, you can:
Research shows that a growing number of employers are ghosting candidates – that's radio silence after an initial interview or even after a task stage in some cases. That’s a prime example of what NOT to do. It says more about an organisation and its ethics than any number of interviews or shiny employer branding ever could.
Here are some other examples of bad candidate experience:
Here are our seven steps to creating a positive candidate experience when hiring:
Before most people apply to a job they will complete some due diligence. It’s important that candidates can easily find information on you, and that the information is tailored towards why they’d want to work for you.
Here are our tips:
So, the candidate has done their homework and decided your company could be a good fit. Once they get to your open roles you only have a matter of seconds to convert them into applicants, so nailing your ad is key.
Here are some must-haves for your job ads:
Check out our blog post on 5 steps to writing the perfect job ad to learn more.
Remove any barriers for potential candidates and make your application process as straightforward as humanly possible. For example, don’t ask someone to upload their CV, then manually list all the same points into a form.
This also includes making sure:
Most importantly, send a confirmation that their application has been submitted and be clear on when they can expect to hear back from you. And stick to it!
Remember, interviews are a two-way street. It’s as much about the candidate interviewing you as it is the other way around.
You also want to make the process as efficient as possible; It’s important to design a process that balances assessment of the candidate, attraction to the role and company, and speed.
Here are some of our top tips:
It’s time to seal the deal. An offer is another opportunity to stand out to candidates, so make sure you get it right.
Here are our tips on making an offer they can’t refuse:
This should be built in throughout the interview process, ideally after each interaction with the candidate. Asking for their thoughts once the process is complete is key, whether they were the successful candidate or not.
As well as anecdotal feedback you can use an online form so feedback can be collated and analysed easily. That way you can spot any trends quickly and learn where you can improve.
Now it’s time to transition from candidate experience to employee experience.
Here are our tips for a great onboarding experience: