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Talk To Candidates
The only thing worse than rejection is silence. It combines all the uncertainty of hope with the disappointment of rejection into an anxiety-inducing mess. And employers put candidates through this process time and again. When asked how long it took an employer to get back to them about their application, 43% of candidates questioned in a recent Workopolis poll said “never.” This leaves candidates cold, and could lead to them turning a decent experience into a bad one.
You may not have time to send back a heartfelt email to every candidate who wants the job, but that doesn’t mean you can’t at least let them know. If you don’t have the time to send even a short reply yourself, consider setting up an applicant tracking system, which can automatically notify candidates not only when you’ve received their application, but when you’ve filled the position. It’s a small part of your day to let candidates know where they stand, and it can mean a huge boost to candidate experience.
The only thing worse than rejection is silence. Are you communicating with your candidates?
Combine Your Consumer and Employer Brands
Often, a company with a fun, interesting and vibrant consumer brand turns out to have yet another corporate, white-walled and plain employer brand. This application and interviewing environment works for some industries better than others (people probably aren’t looking for a fun vibe in a financial office or legal firm -- keep in mind if you have that you will very much stand out, not always a bad thing!), but if your consumer brand gives people a certain impression of your company, then you can use that to your advantage when it comes time to hire. 60% of your candidates already believe they have some sort of relationship with you.
Smart companies should take advantage of that. If it looks like their company is fun to work for in their consumer-oriented ads, they need to emphasize that fun work environment on their career website and during the interview. Companies are working harder than ever to build up their employer brand, but major companies can’t forget that a candidate’s first exposure to their brand will likely come from the consumer side. A mismatch between consumer and employer branding can in fact negatively affect retention.
Do you consider the consumer brand in your employer brand? Here's why you should:
Have Candidates Talk To You
Communication works both ways, and if you’re wondering where your recruiting excels and where it needs work, the easiest way to know is that you ask your candidates about their experience. This sounds like a simple enough task, but the number of recruiters who ask for solicit feedback from their candidates is astonishingly low. Employers only ask around 25% of candidates to maintain a relationship with them after they apply.
If you’re trying to better your candidate experience, this is valuable data you’re missing out on. You may think your interviewing format allows for the best candidate experience possible, but you can never be sure until you ask someone who’s undergone it what they thought. Having multiple interviews for every position may mean you’re more thorough, but it could also mean your candidates have a hard time surviving your job interview marathon. By asking your candidates about their experience with you, you’ll have a better sense of what to do going forward.
Candidate experience is a vital part of hiring. Companies that hire quickly are not only those with the best jobs and perks, but those that offer candidates a better hiring experience than their competitors. By creating a more communicative application process, where your consumer and employer brands match, and which allows candidates to offer their advice and how you can do better, you’ll have candidates coming back to you time after time.
Good hiring processes aren’t found: they’re made. Take a tour of ClearComany’s applicant tracking system today to see what the best ones look like.
