During our live webinar just a few weeks ago, I interviewed over 10 people. Live. I know, I thought it would be pure chaos. It actually turned out really well. Everyone came with fresh ideas that aren’t hitting the headlines. Tactics that actually work. For this week’s blog, I wanted to share a few of those ideas from some of the smartest folks I know – Kristina Minyard, Shaina Semiatin, Jen Jones, Tara Turk-Haynes, and Nicole Stephens. You can watch their full answers (and everyone else’s) here.

PS I’ll be hosting an inclusive candidate experience audit workshop. Limited seats available. Get yours (and more info) here.

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When it comes to the interview process, the biggest mistake my friend Kristina Minyard sees is focusing on the wrong things. Instead of focusing on things like names or work history, we should really be focusing on what hiring managers are actually looking for in a candidate.

At the end of the day, we need to ditch the “order taker” mentality during the candidate experience and remember that candidates are humans, job titles are made up, and someone’s work history doesn’t necessarily equate to their qualifications. Instead, recruiters and hiring managers can divide their “must have” qualities into more manageable and essential categories.

But What About Degree Requirements?

Ditch them. Instead, ask what unique knowledge a candidate would gain from having said degree. While there might be some non-teachable skills or formal certifications required for roles like doctors, teachers, lawyers, and accountants, most skills can be taught. 

Considering the decline in degrees, managers should remember their role in managing their team and be open to teaching these necessary skills to new hires. There’s no reason to limit your talent pool arbitrarily.  

Navigating Resistance To Changing The Candidate Experience

Making changes is never easy, especially if you have a manager who is not on board with enhancing the candidate experience. Whether you’re interested in recruiting new employees, changing processes, implementing technology, or making other improvements, navigating resistance can be difficult.

First, my friend Shaina Semiatin recommends you reflect on who you are. What you represent. Consider aspects of your identity that impact your ability to do your best work. Are the thought leaders you surround yourself with supportive of your efforts? Consider how you feel comfortable conveying yourself both internally and externally within your company.

If your values don’t align with those resisting your suggested changes, you may want to step back and assess where your resources – including your time, energy, and care – are going. If your personal values aren’t aligned with your professional work? Navigating resistance is a futile effort.

Set Goals In These Three Categories

• What You Think
• What You Say
• What You Do

Instead, you can utilize tools like the Harvard Bias Check to identify unconscious biases you may have. What are you doing to drive accountability? By starting with evaluating yourself, you can contribute to creating a positive work environment to expand your horizons and align your actions with your values.

How Do I Know What A Candidate Needs?

Ask them! Whether that’s written and auditory prep materials, a landing page with sample interview questions, infographic-style preps to provide a clear picture, or even providing advice on setting up their environment for different types of interviews throughout the process.

When you’re open and honest with candidates during the candidate experience, they’re more likely to be open and honest with you in return. If you want your potential candidates to succeed? Lead them through the process by training them for their interviews ahead of time. The best interview training? Giving candidates all the prep work they need to nail the interview! 

If there’s one thing my friend Jen Jones has taught me, it’s that interview training should focus on setting up candidates for success – and that means getting as far in the interview process as possible! The job search is already intimidating enough. Candidates don’t look for new roles unless they need to. And those incredibly rigid, long-winded interview processes? They’re even more intimidating than the job search itself.

Try to have grace with candidates and remember they’re human, too. Implement more flexible approaches to the interview process, or even let candidates know what you’re looking for in their answers to questions. 

My friend Tara Turk-Haynes reminds us that we shouldn’t forget the basics, either! Hiring teams should always be striving for consistency in their candidate experiences – and you want that experience to be as positive as possible. The easiest way to do this is to remember that communication is key.

Let me repeat that: communication is key. Recruiters should aim to humanize their templates, not flood candidates’ inboxes with AI-generated messages to [CANDIDATE NAME] for [JOB TITLE] at [COMPANY NAME]. Also? Let candidates know how to get in touch with you!

Coordinating Interview Teams For A Better Candidate Experience

Have you ever taken the time to consider what team members candidates are meeting throughout the interview process? I learned from my friend Nicole Stephens that the interview process is a great opportunity to provide candidates with a variety of interviewers. Try involving employee resource group co-leads in interviews. 

This allows candidates to get a better idea of a company’s culture, its team members, and values. While it’s nearly impossible to eliminate all red flags, candidates can learn more about how different groups show up within the organization.

By painting a picture of your company’s values through interview teams, you can help candidates connect to the “why” behind the work – allowing them to feel valued and supported throughout the process. 

Truth is, if a candidate doesn’t feel valued and supported during the interview process? They’re probably going to realize they won’t be valued or supported once they’re hired, either. If you want the best candidates to stick around throughout the process, start ensuring a positive experience sooner rather than later.

Candidate Generation and Nurturing recruiting candidate experience inclusive candidate experience