The coronavirus continues to top all headlines. The overly complicated job-search and application processes juxtaposed with current job-seeker confidence has recruiters wondering what this paradox will look like in the coming weeks, months, and for the rest of the year. People need jobs right now, but if your process takes too long, they are likely to look somewhere else. Or, if they need a job immediately, they may suffer through your process only to continue looking after the fact. Regardless of your processes, you are still likely going to get applications, but only because job-seekers have resolved themselves to accept certain burdens as part of such processes. This, however, does not mean you will be attracting the people your organization actually needs or those who will stay. Consequently, candidate experience, employee engagement, retention, company culture, and employer brand will all likely suffer. When surveyed, 90% of recruiters from over 400 global offices shared that they believe today’s hiring landscape is candidate-driven. With that in mind, candidate experience becomes a direct line to supporting your recruiting efforts.
To understand how the experiences a candidate has can positively or negatively impact your brand, you should first understand what it means. Candidate experience is the impression of the company left on potential candidates throughout the application, interview, and hiring process. The interview process and updates about the candidate’s application status, including a candidate rejection letter or a job offer, are all part of the job candidate experience. It can be easy to think of a candidate’s experience as an individual’s take on your process but what an applicant goes through is not isolated or individual. There are typically many people applying for one position, and while you may only be looking for that one perfect hire, your brand will leave an impression with all of the others. That is why it’s important to be aware of all the ways a candidate’s experience can impact your company's bottom line.
While you are evaluating a potential candidate, they are also evaluating your company. Things like response time and streamline processes could highlight the efficiencies of your in-house team. Those individuals won’t necessarily keep their experience to themselves. A positive candidate experience can propel your employer brand to new heights and candidates’ feedback can be sprinkled across many touch points that you may not otherwise have access to—say job review sites, for example. Providing a superior candidate experience will help you make a great first impression on top talent, which can win over the best job seekers before your competitors do. Job seekers prefer a timely process, even if that means supplying them with a rejection in a more timely manner.
Remember that a candidate's experience shouldn’t end the moment they become an employee. Provide new hires with resources to succeed on the job. Your current staff can help with referring other applicants, which can increase your talent pool. Unlike many firms, the Network ESC model is not focused exclusively on job boards. It is truly a relationship-driven model where we partner with our candidates and present them for candidacy with the right clients. We specialize in designing and implementing marketing campaigns for our candidates to introduce them to the best opportunities out there. Our researchers and recruiters come from outstanding academic backgrounds and are extremely well-trained in cutting-edge recruitment methodologies. Their backgrounds and customer service orientation enable them to better evaluate candidates' skills and understand their interests, ensuring they can provide realistic and meaningful options for job seekers in their fields.
Consider strengthening your candidate experience with Network ESC’s Candidate-Centered Model.
