Applicant and candidate experience are top of mind right now because companies are struggling to compete for top talent, while online communities are making it easier for job seekers to express their concerns and voice their complaints. However, regardless of how technology evolves and the economy changes, there are a few things that should remain the same.
6 Key Considerations When Improving Candidate Experience
- Build a quality consumer and employer brand. If you already have something good to offer, whether it’s a great product/service or a fantastic culture, that’s the first step. If the quality is lacking, you must focus on improving because technology and social media make it impossible to not be transparent about your offerings. If your product is terrible, your customer service is not up to par or you have a high employee turnover, people will notice.
- Adapt and grow. Whether it’s the products and services you offer to customers or the perks and benefits you offer to employees, your target audiences’ minds will constantly change, and their values will shift over time. Don’t focus on improving now with no plans to learn and adjust in the future. Be ready and willing to change with them if you want to keep them happy and build a lasting business.
- Ask and respond. While it’s important to ask job seekers about their candidate experience, that’s not enough. You must also be ready to take that feedback (both negative and positive), respond appropriately and make changes to improve. Too often, companies commit to the evaluation but don’t want to address the issues uncovered.
- Be open. If you conduct surveys or other evaluations of your candidate experience process, share the results and your plan of action with your target audiences. By letting them know you care about their opinions and are ready to make things right, you’ll build stronger relationships and a better employer brand image.
- Follow through. Though it may be a longer process, coming full cycle is important, especially if you have a highly engaged community. If you’re open and make promises about improving your candidate experience, you must keep them and then make it known once you’ve finished.
- Repeat. As mentioned, no one’s expectations are unchanging. Just because you’ve completed the cycle doesn’t mean you’re done. Though you may have a short amount of time to coast on your newfound process, don’t get too comfortable. Be ready to start the process over, specifically from step three, whenever you see fit.
Image: Jeff Meyer/Flickr
Author: Autumn McReynolds
Autumn McReynolds is a master of communication, and with two years in the recruiting industry and over five years of experience in journalism and content creation, she was thrilled to take her career in a new direction as a Blogger and Content Strategist focused on talent acquisition in the digital age. In addition to writing, Autumn spends her time managing social media accounts for business and pleasure. Follow her on Twitter @AutumnMcRey.
