The second someone applies to a job with your business, you’re creating an experience that will influence the rest of their relationship with you. For some candidates, this will end relatively soon. For others, it could form the basis of your working partnership for years to come.
Even if a candidate isn’t successful, their experience can affect their perception of your business. They may decide they don’t want to apply to any future job postings. They might resolve not to interact with your business anymore or they might discourage their friends and family from applying to work for you.
It’s in your best interests to make sure every candidate has a good experience. These five tips will help you improve the candidate experience in recruitment.
1. Communication Influences the Candidate Experience in Recruitment
How quickly do job applicants hear back from you after they’ve applied? If there’s radio silence for two weeks, they may wonder if you even received their application.
This can be discouraging for some candidates. Others may decide they need to send multiple applications or follow up with you, adding to the number of emails in your inbox.
One easy way to improve the candidate experience is to communicate often and efficiently. When you receive an application, send an automated note letting the applicant know their resume has been received. Outline the next steps in the process and when they can expect to hear from you.
You should identify the next steps and timelines clearly at every stage.
2. Be Timely
Another way to improve the candidate experience is to be timely in responding to applications. In the past, you could sit on applications for two weeks or a month, and candidates would accept this as the process timeline.
Today’s recruitment process requires faster turnarounds. You still need time to consider applications, but you’ll want to process applications sooner rather than later.
This helps you as well, since you can make hiring decisions faster. It also helps assure the candidate you’re organized and professional.
3. Use Technology to Make the Process Easier
How many questions does a job applicant have to fill out? If they must upload their resume and then duplicate the information by filling out a form, many people will click away.
Streamline your application process so that candidates can apply with just a click or two. Let them upload their resumes and submit them, without asking them to manually fill in pages of questions.
If you pre-screen candidates, be sure to make the instructions clear and make the screening test user friendly and accessible.
You can even use software to automate scheduling of interviews. Instead of tedious planning through email, invite candidates to review slots and book a time that works for them.
Using technology this way not only makes the candidate experience frictionless, but it also helps your company seem forward thinking.
4. Thank Candidates for Their Time
Once they’ve applied or taken the time to interview, candidates should be thanked for their time. Even if they’re not the successful candidate, their time is still valuable, and they used it to meet with you.
This is especially important when someone comes in for an interview but isn’t the successful candidate. Use the opportunity to thank them for their interest and invite them to reapply for other positions they may be qualified for. Chances are some of the people you interview are great candidates, even if they didn’t fit the bill for this position.
5. Work With Liberty Staffing to Streamline the Process
One more thing you can do to improve the candidate experience in recruitment is to work with a staffing agency. Liberty Staffing can help you streamline your hiring process, find the right candidates, and improve the experience for everyone who applies to work with your company.
