Candidate experience is integral to recruiting in order to attract and retain the best candidates. However, there are some things that slip through the cracks. To gain a better understanding, we asked CEOs, founders, and hiring leaders for their best insights from their experience with recruiting. While a lack of consideration of a candidate’s time is important to avoid, there are many other things that can negatively impact candidates.
Lack of Consideration for Candidates’ Time
One thing that is still not being talked about enough regarding candidate experience is recruiters’ showing disregard for candidates’ time.
Pre-pandemic, companies regularly doubled or tripled the promised deadlines with hiring decisions, ghosted interviewed applicants with no updates or cookie-cutter rejections, and lied about not being undecided in the hiring process before blindsiding frontrunners with sudden rejections.
Though many companies complain about their understaffing woes in a tough recruiting climate, this total lack of consideration for candidates unfortunately persists.
A friend of mine recently waited to be called for an interview for over a month while the hiring manager was on vacation, only to receive a template rejection with no interview. Rather than keep the candidate on the hook, the interviewer should have finished first round filtering before going out of office.
Tasia Duske
CEO, Museum Hack
The Toll of Automated Screenings
Some candidates believe that the recruiting process is fair, but many candidates believe that the whole thing is stacked against them and that getting an interview is incredibly difficult.
The increased use of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics affects the candidate’s experience. Many companies are using technology to screen candidates with no human interaction. The process is very one-sided and is not providing any opportunity for candidates to have a positive experience.
As a result, candidates are not being provided with any feedback, and they may have few opportunities to improve their chances of being selected for an interview.
Matthew Ramirez
Founder, Paraphrase Tool
Providing Feedback After an Interview
Providing positive feedback after an interview is a crucial topic to bring up. This can go a long way in making the experience memorable and can help boost the applicant’s confidence.
Additionally, it can help set you apart from other recruiters and companies by showing that you care about the person’s feelings and well-being. Providing positive feedback after an interview should be an opportunity to show appreciation for the time and effort that the candidate has put into the interview process.
Admir Salcinovic
Co-Founder, Pricelisto
Ignoring Candidates After They’ve Accepted Offers
Let’s also talk about how frequently companies enter a “communication black hole” with candidates after they’ve accepted an offer—but before they’ve started.
This “pre-boarding” phase is critical to continue to increase engagement and build connections with the company and its culture. When companies go silent after an offer is accepted, it’s a wasted opportunity, and worse, it may cause the candidate to second guess their decision.
The good news is now we can leverage technology platforms to do a lot of the heavy lifting to automate and standardize pre-boarding and onboarding experiences.
Matthew Hamilton
Vice President People Analytics & HRIS, Protective Life
Not Welcoming Enough to Negative Candidate Reviews
Let’s discuss how negative candidate reviews can work to improve the complete experience. At my organization, we send out surveys to candidates who have applied for positions (not necessarily hired) and went through the interview process.
We go over the responses and try to improve on areas where there were concerns. I feel organizations do not always like to hear the negative reviews, but these negative reviews can give your organization the exact data to improve candidate experience in the future.
Lindsey Hight
HR Professional, Sporting Smiles
Hiring-Manager Deadlines Can Be a Game-Changer
The recruiting feedback loop is a vital component in success, especially in a highly candidate-driven market. It must be quick and efficient to ensure the process allows you to make the first move on the most qualified candidates.
When you place feedback requirements and deadlines on hiring managers, you will notice efficiencies early on. It has become a competitive advantage for my firm to promise candidates they will have feedback within 48 hours of being submitted or interviewed.
Sometimes the only thing you have to compete with is speed, and deadlines on feedback is the way to beat your competitors to top talent.
Trent Cotton
Senior Director of Talent, Hatchworks
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