What is a Candidate Experience?
The candidate experience comprises all of the touch points that a prospect encounters when applying for a job at a given company. These touch points can include the initial job advertisement, the application process, the interview, and even the post-interview communication.
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Understanding the Candidate Experience
From the first time a job seeker hears about your company and considers applying, they have begun their candidate journey. Any interaction they have as a prospect, from your careers site to job advertisements to the job application process, shapes their candidate experience.
Generally, a company's HR team is responsible for crafting much of the candidate's experience. This involves not only crafting the job application and interview process but also managing the communications within and outside of an applicant tracking system (ATS), such as notification of rejection or offer. The HR team plays a crucial role in ensuring that the candidate's journey is smooth and positive.
A candidate experience is a journey a job seeker takes from their first interaction with your company to the end of the hiring (or not hiring) process.
Benefits and Considerations
Creating a positive candidate experience is essential to start off on a good foot with potential new hires and convey a positive employer brand to anyone in your talent pool. A solid candidate experience can reduce time-to-hire, increase the quality of hire, and encourage employee referrals. Additionally, companies who build strong candidate experiences have more success with re-engaging candidates that they do not move forward with down the line.
However, it can be challenging to establish a compelling candidate experience, especially because of the technological (ATS) and administrative (HR team members) requirements. Start where you can, focusing most on communication and providing a user-friendly application process. Also, consider asking for constructive feedback on your application or interview process to identify opportunities for improvement.
Creating a positive candidate experience is crucial for attracting top talent and enhancing your employer brand. However, it can be challenging due to the technological and administrative requirements involved.
How to Build a Positive Candidate Experience
Here are a few ways you can craft a great candidate experience:
- Emphasize clear communication throughout a candidate's journey. This ensures they're always informed about the next steps and your expectations, fostering a sense of engagement and transparency throughout the recruitment process.
- Be respectful and mindful of people's time. For instance, sending a rejection letter to all candidates can avoid them feeling ignored or 'ghosted', fostering a sense of consideration and empathy.
- Create a candidate-centric approach, being sure to test out your own application journey to ensure its user-friendliness.
- Personalize the process as much as possible. This includes tailoring emails and interview questions to their unique background, making them feel valued and appreciated.
To craft a great candidate experience, prioritize clear communication, respect candidates' time, personalize the process, and remain candidate-centric.
Best Practices for Small Businesses
Small businesses can differentiate themselves from competitors with a well-crafted candidate experience. Start by writing clear job descriptions and creating a user-friendly job application experience.
Set up your ATS so that once a candidate submits their application, they are immediately met with a personalized, automated email acknowledging that it was received. Keep candidates up to date with where they're at in the hiring process, giving prompt and clear communication whenever possible.
Respect candidates' time, especially during the interview phase and after sending a rejection or offer letter. Finally, showcase your organization's unique culture throughout the process, inviting and enticing prospects to join your team.
Small businesses should aim to craft a unique, personalized, and respectful candidate experience to attract top talent.
Crafting a positive candidate experience is crucial for talent attraction – especially for small businesses. Doing so involves clear communication, respecting candidates' time, and personalizing the application process. While it can be challenging to optimize, focusing on user-friendly practices and soliciting feedback can lead to significant improvements. Small businesses can stand out by providing an engaging candidate journey and showcasing their distinct employer brand.
About the author
Casey Pontrelli
Casey Pontrelli is a multi-talented professional with a background in content creation, branding, and social media marketing. Whether writing for a newspaper, eCommerce website, B2B startup, or a marketing agency, she has taken her strong background in journalism and turned her focus to SEO and content marketing. She’s written about everything from boutiques to cars to small businesses, and enjoys most when she knows her writing has had an impact. When she’s not writing up a storm or creating attention-grabbing social media posts, Casey enjoys hanging out with her partner and three cats, Eddy, Larry, and Marcus, going on long walks in the Green Belt, and, predictably, reading.
