With numerous options now available in the job market for professionals, firms are also being expected to level up their hiring game. Day by day, the competition gets stiffer. While we can’t predict what’s going to happen in five years, one thing we do know is that this trend isn’t going away anytime soon.
The ultimate goal is to leave candidates with a great impression of you. How? It’s through candidate experience. Creating a good candidate experience is critical for making candidates feel comfortable trusting you with their career opportunities. Before we dive deep into how to create a good candidate experience. Let’s first define what candidate experience and how important it is.
What Is Candidate Experience?
Candidate experience is the end-to-end process of what a candidate goes through during hiring. Simply put, it’s how you make candidates feel through their series of interactions with you. It’s been gaining a lot of ground lately, as more and more companies see how crucial it is to maintain a positive relationship with potential employees.
Why Is Candidate Experience Important?
Candidate experience is important because candidate expectations continue to rise, and they will continue to do so in the coming years. Candidates make up their minds about a company within 60 seconds of finding it online. This means that when candidates search for your company, you have less than a minute to impress them – and such impressions are long-lasting.
Here are more of the top reasons why you should focus your efforts on providing a superb candidate experience:
Candidate Feedback Travels Fast, Far, and Wide
Today, people are sharing everything online! According to an article published by Forbes 60 percent of surveyed individuals have had negative candidate experiences at some point, and 72 percent of them shared those experiences either online or with friends, family, and colleagues. That’s why it’s more important than ever to invest in creating a positive experience for candidates from start to finish.
What candidates say about you affects how prospective candidates and your clients perceive your brand. So, it’s important to take stock of what candidates say about their experience with you on platforms like Glassdoor or Indeed. It’s your company’s brand—what people perceive about you should be everything you want it to be.
The Hiring Market Is Crowded
The rise of online recruiting and remote hiring has made it easier than ever for organizations to find great candidates. That’s fantastic news for companies looking to fill roles. Candidates are now hungry and willing to work, meaning your opportunities have never been greater. But, on the contrary, this means that competition is tough!
That said, companies are known almost as much for their hiring practices and culture as the quality of their services and products. So, your competitive edge in a saturated hiring market is heavily influenced by your ability to attract candidates and provide a positive candidate experience.
First Impressions Have a Ripple Effect
A candidate’s first impression of your company will stay with them throughout the entire hiring process, so you have to make it count! It’s normal for candidates to do their due diligence before your first interaction. However, the second a candidate receives an email or meets with you, it will set the tone for further exchanges.
A positive candidate experience can also translate into a good impression of your products and services. It also has an impact on your brand reputation. Focusing on your candidate experience will not only make candidates feel welcome and valued, but it will also help your business and brand.
Candidates Will Give as Much as They Get
The good news is, presently, candidates are paying more attention to how much they’re getting out of an experience. According to Forbes, young professionals are not scared to change jobs if their current company’s career development opportunities do not meet their needs. This rings true, especially for millennials.
Today, candidate experience, organization brand, and work-life balance are no longer just buzzwords. They are business imperatives. If you put yourself in the candidate’s place and go through your hiring process from start to finish, how would you want to be treated? Answering this will help you relate to your candidates and stay ahead of the competition.
Ultimately, when you focus on the experience you provide, the returns will be in the form of committed, loyal, and passionate employees.
You Can Cultivate a Pipeline of Brand Ambassadors
The best companies foster positive relationships with their candidates and make them feel like they’re part of a family that’s there to support them every step of the way.
Burning bridges is an absolute no-no in terms of recruiting. Remember that your business requirements will inevitably change as you move forward. New opportunities might arise, and you might need to tap into your candidate pipeline. So, make sure that you’re never ruining relationships by providing a bad candidate experience.
One valuable resource you can develop from championing a candidate experience is building your own brand ambassadors. This can be very effective when you’re building a referral-based marketing strategy.
The Key Is Transparency
There are so many formulas and steps you can find online about improving the candidate experience you provide. But at the end of the day, from the candidates’ point of view, it all boils down to your transparency and authenticity.
Communicate transparently and be as upfront as possible. Don’t leave emails unanswered for months on end. Be honest and proactive. Regardless of what news you bring, your candidate will definitely be glad to hear from you instead of being left hanging.
Finally, combining an efficient and effective hiring process with a heavy focus on the candidate experience will build a robust organization brand for you. This will give you all the support you need to attract and retain top performers and scale your business.
ACS PROFESSIONAL STAFFING CAN MAKE THE RIGHT PEOPLE, YOUR PEOPLE
ACS Professional Staffing offers a variety of staffing solutions to meet your short-term and long-term needs. When you work with ACS, you can rest assured that our team will work hard to understand your company culture, requirements, and future goals.
We’re here to make your recruiting efforts a definite success. If you need a specialized candidate, you’ll absolutely need a specialized staffing agency! We specialize in matching you with highly skilled people in IT, engineering, administrative support, and more.
We use a proven process to build matches between candidates and clients to increase productivity and minimize turnover within your business. We’re excited to build a long-lasting and sustainable partnership with you! Contact us today to learn more about what customized workforce solutions ACS Professional Staffing can create for you!