Think back on your past experiences of job hunting. You most likely had some negative experiences as well as some positive ones. Even many years later a bad experience with a company might colour how you think about them as a business, and whether you’d consider applying to a role with them again now! A great candidate experience involves creating a journey that is smooth, efficient, and engaging, leaving candidates with a favourable impression of the company regardless of the final hiring decision.
What Is Candidate Experience?
Put simply, candidate experience is how a candidate perceives your business during and after the application process. Every single interaction an applicant has, from how they find your job description to how you communicate your final hiring decision, can influence a candidate’s overall experience with you.
Every stage of the recruitment process is important, and you should carefully consider how each step could impact candidate experience. You should be aiming for positive, transparent, and respectful interactions throughout the entire recruitment process.
Importance of Candidate Experience
Candidate experience should be an important part of your employer brand and your wider recruitment strategy. A positive candidate experience can help improve your ability to attract and retain highly qualified candidates.
Candidates are more likely to accept offers from employers who provide positive experiences. This can be key if you are competing for highly skilled candidates who may receive multiple offers.
Candidates share their experiences with their networks. Good or bad. Positive experiences will encourage others to apply to you, making it easier for you to fill future roles.
Even if candidates are successful, those with bad recruitment experiences are less likely to stay in their roles. Meaning extra time and resources spent on finding replacements.
5 Ways to Improve Candidate Experience
Before you start to make improvements to your recruitment processes make sure you understand exactly what candidates experience right now. You can do this by mapping the candidate journey, step by step, from the moment they arrive at your job description to the point they receive an offer.
Ask yourself how easy it was to apply? Did you encounter any challenges or frustrations? Are candidates kept informed throughout the process? Would you recommend your company to others based on your experience?
Once you have the answers to these questions you can begin to:
- Simplify the Application Process
Sending in an application is the first contact most candidates will have with your company. Which means the process needs to be simple, quick, and user-friendly. Recent studies have found that up to 92% of online applications are never completed. Make sure your application portal or website is mobile friendly and ask for essential information only by removing any unnecessary fields. You might also consider adding a progress bar or tracker to help guide people through the process. The aim is to eliminate any frustration or confusion. By doing this you increase the number of completed applications and show that you respect candidates time and effort. - Communicate Effectively Throughout
Timely updates and clear information help applicants manage expectations, reduce anxiety, and feel respected, regardless of the outcome. You can achieve this by establishing clear communication channels and setting realistic timelines for each stage of the hiring process. Automated responses acknowledging receipt of applications and providing expected timelines for follow-ups create transparency and maintain engagement. You can manage this through email or through your ATS system. Finally giving constructive feedback, even in cases of rejection, helps candidates understand the decision-making process and maintain a positive relationship. - Show Off Company Culture and Values
Providing insights into your workplace culture gives candidates a sense of who you are and helps them determine if they’ll be a good fit. You can demonstrate your culture and values through your job descriptions, and on your company websites. But they should also be built into your communications and processes. You can get creative too. Use your job site and social media to host video office tours, interviews with current employees and showcase any learning and development programs you offer. - Improve Onboarding
The final stage in a candidate’s journey should start from the moment a candidate accepts your offer. This means doing more than simply setting up payroll and directing them to the office. A well-executed onboarding process helps success candidates transition into their new role, become productive members of your team and help them feel as though they belong. A positive introduction significantly impacts job satisfaction, retention rates, and overall employee performance. You can create a successful onboarding program that gives in-depth insights into company values and expectations by offering clear guidance on organisational processes, tools, and resources, creating clear timelines and goals, and assigning mentors or implementing buddy systems helps new hires integrate into the team. - Gather and Implement Feedback
By actively seeking input from candidates, you’ll gain valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of your hiring procedures and how candidates experience them. Asking for feedback once again shows you’re committed to transparency and accountability, and it gives you the opportunity to refine your hiring process for even better outcomes. Make sure that you take the time to review the feedback you gather and implement any suggestions or changes that come out of it.
By putting candidates at the centre of your recruitment processes you’ll not only be able to attract top talent but also develop engaged, happy new hires who’ll want to commit to your organisation long term.
As Thailand's leading Industrial, Logistic and Supply Chain recruitment agency, we can support your expansion into Thailand and Southeast Asia and help you hire experienced, technically proficient, English-speaking candidates.
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