The Top 5 Strategies to Improve Candidate Experience

In the fast-paced recruitment industry, the significance of developing a stellar candidate experience cannot be overstated. As businesses compete for top-tier talent, a candidate’s journey can profoundly shape their perception of an organisation, impacting whether they complete the recruitment process, accept a job offer, and what they say when sharing their experience.

A positive candidate experience can be a powerful catalyst, influencing an individual’s decision to join a company and shaping the organisation’s employer brand; studies have shown that candidates are 38% more likely to accept an offer if they’ve had a positive experience. Businesses must recognise the link between candidate experience and overall business success, understanding that each interaction contributes to the narrative surrounding their workplace. 

This article delves into five top strategies beyond routine recruitment practices, from perfecting job advertisements to streamlining the application process and gathering and implementing feedback. These strategies offer a roadmap to guarantee a positive candidate experience, establishing your company as a magnet for top talent. 

Understanding the Candidate Experience 

At its core, candidate experience in recruitment is the journey a potential hire undergoes during the entire application and selection process. Broken into stages, it encompasses the initial application, communication throughout the process, and the post-offer period, each shaping the candidate’s perception of the organisation.

Why is Candidate Experience Important?

In recruitment, creating a positive candidate experience is not just a nicety but a strategic essential, especially in the digital age. With the evolution of the internet and the omnipresence of social media, the candidate experience in recruitment goes beyond the hiring room; 72% of applicants will share a poor interview experience on social media. 

Previously, if a candidate had a bad recruitment experience, their story would go as far as close friends and family. Today, candidates have a much bigger platform to share their feelings. 

A bad review or a disgruntled candidate’s post can reverberate online, influencing potential hires and shaping the employer brand. A study showed more than half of job seekers won’t apply to a company after reading negative employer reviews.

A positive candidate experience is a powerful driver for businesses. Beyond attracting the best candidates, it contributes significantly to a company’s employer brand, showcasing it as an organisation that values and respects its applicants. 

The impact doesn’t end with recruitment; a positive candidate experience ripples through the company’s dynamics, reducing employee attrition rates and boosting long-term retention. It also ensures that successful applicants begin their journey positively, making them feel like a valued team member. 

What is a Negative Candidate Experience?

In the recruitment process, a negative candidate experience often manifests in miscommunication and frustration. Around 46% of candidates who believe their time has been disrespected will withdraw from the recruitment process.

Picture this: you’re applying for a job and are met with radio silence from the employer, leaving you feeling very uncertain. The job application process resembles a maze, demanding excessive time and energy, and the mobile you’ve used to apply is seemingly incompatible. As you navigate through interviews, you’re met with unfriendly faces and a lack of opportunities to connect with the company or voice your concerns. There’s no chance to ask questions, provide feedback, or gain insights into the company culture.

A negative candidate experience isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a missed opportunity that can have big consequences. Contextually, 69% of applicants who have had a negative candidate experience will never apply to your company again.

Beyond the immediate impact of losing out on top talent, the repercussions extend further. The cost of rehiring, driven by the fallout from a negative candidate experience in recruitment, can be substantial. Worse still, a disconnection between promised expectations and reality can lead to losing valuable employees.

Recognising and mitigating these challenges is integral to building a positive candidate experience in recruitment that resonates with top talent.

How to Improve Candidate Experience in Recruitment 

1. Perfect Your Job Advertisements

Write Inspiring Job Ads

Job advertisements mark the starting point for candidate experience in recruitment, setting the tone for the entire journey. Job ads should be inspiring narratives detailing what the role entails and selling the company culture and benefits. 

A compelling job ad does more than attract; it persuades candidates to envision themselves thriving in the role. Using visual phrases such as, ‘Imagine waking up, looking forward to getting stuck into planning a campaign ’ is a good example of this. Avoid simply listing the job description and what the role requires, as it can be perceived as disengaging and uninspiring.

Hire For a Real Need

Crafting detailed job advertisements is about more than just filling a position. It can be an excellent opportunity to make sure you’re hiring for a real need. Before writing your job ad, you should perform a skills gap analysis to determine exactly what you need from a skills and talent perspective and establish what type of candidate will meet these requirements.

Neglecting these steps can increase the probability of altering course or questioning the hiring need. Consequently, this could negatively impact the candidate’s experience, resulting in delays, ineffective communication and time wasted for the candidate. 

Include a Salary Range

A non-negotiable in job advertisements is the inclusion of a salary range, although there can be some exceptions. Generally, leaving out this crucial detail can imply a lack of respect for the potential candidate’s time, as well as dissuading top talent. A survey from LinkedIn revealed that, for 91% of people, seeing a salary range on a job ad would impact their decision to apply.

Both are costly to the business, impacting the time it takes to fill the position and employer branding, contributing to a negative candidate experience. 

Outline the Hiring Process

Transparency is the key, not only in salary but also in outlining the hiring process. Candidates appreciate knowing what to expect, and this transparency is a cornerstone of improving the candidate experience. There’s less chance of candidates dropping out of the recruitment process if they were informed beforehand and are prepared to meet the requirements of the application process.

Ultimately, a well-crafted job ad doesn’t just attract; it sets the stage for a meaningful and positive candidate experience.

2. Streamline the Application Process 

Optimise Online Application Forms

When considering how to improve candidate experience in recruitment, the application process is a great area to focus on as it can either captivate or frustrate potential hires. Roughly 60% of job searchers have abandoned an application because of its length and complexity, so if you make the process too long, you’ll likely lose out on a lot of potential.

To ensure a positive candidate experience, it’s crucial to simplify and optimise application forms by only focusing on essential information and removing unnecessary steps that may be time-consuming and deter top talent.

Invest in a User-Friendly Application Portal 

Investing in a user-friendly, well-designed application portal makes a big difference in streamlining the application process and aiding a positive candidate experience. An intuitive navigation system with straightforward instructions ensures candidates can easily understand and complete each step, and be confident in what information they need to submit. 

Making your application portal mobile-friendly is essential to accommodate candidates who prefer applying on mobile devices, making the process user-friendly for everyone. A Glassdoor study found that 35% of job seekers prefer to apply from their phone. These features make the process seamless for candidates and showcase your company’s commitment to a positive candidate experience. A good tip is integrating a table of contents into your application to improve mobile use. 

Use an Applicant Tracking System 

When considering candidate experience strategies, an efficient applicant tracking system is a top tip, especially for businesses with high-volume recruitment needs. Opt for user-friendly systems, such as Lever or Greenhouse, to enhance the application process and streamline the journey for both recruiters and candidates. 

Below are a couple of key features and functions of an ATS which can significantly improve candidate experience.

Application Management

• Efficiently collects, organises, and reviews candidate applications for streamlined screening.

Resume Parsing

• Extracts relevant information from resumes and standardises it for easy comparison and analysis.

Collaboration and Communication

• Facilitates seamless communication and collaboration among hiring team members, enabling feedback sharing, interview scheduling and status updates.

Candidate Tracking

• Monitors candidate progress throughout the recruitment process, from application to various interview stages.

Search and Filters:

• Provides powerful search and filtering capabilities to identify candidates with specific skills or qualifications quickly.

Automated Workflows

• Sets up automated, personalised workflows for tasks like acknowledgement emails, interview scheduling, and rejection notices, enhancing overall efficiency.

3. Coach Hiring Managers 

Not all recruiters make for effective interviewers. Coaching hiring managers is a strategic move to ensure a positive candidate experience and mitigate the risk of making ill-informed hires, which can be costly to the business.

Roll Out Training Sessions 

Training and upskilling hiring managers are crucial to enhancing the candidate experience and fostering a positive connection. It’s a strategic investment that improves the overall candidate experience and pays dividends through well-informed hires and positive employer branding. 

Below are a couple of training session topics that would give your hiring managers the tools to excel in interviewing.

• Appropriate Questioning Methods

Train on effective questioning techniques to extract relevant information from candidates.

• Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

Provide guidance on articulating the company’s EVP to showcase its unique values and benefits.

• Building Rapport

Conduct training to enhance skills in building rapport with applicants for a positive candidate experience.

• Understanding Interview Types

Educate on the nuances of different interview types to tailor approaches based on the situation.

Share Interviewer LinkedIn Profiles 

93% of people find job applications and interviewing quite a stressful process. Sharing the interviewer’s LinkedIn profiles with candidates is a simple act that transforms the interaction into a familiar exchange, and allows them to conduct pre-interview research. This can alleviate applicant’s anxieties, improving the candidate experience.

4. Effectively Communicate and Be Transparent

Keeping Candidates Informed 

One of the top ways to improve candidate experience in recruitment is clear and consistent communication to alleviate any anxieties. So much so, that 96% of applicants will apply for jobs if they know the company will keep them informed.

This includes setting clear expectations about the recruitment timeline, proactively communicating any delays that may arise, informing them if they haven’t been successful and providing feedback. Feedback is an important component, as 38% of candidates’ biggest frustration is a lack of feedback following an interview. 

Additionally, maintaining a continuous line of communication from acceptance to onboarding reinforces the candidate’s sense of value and engagement with the company. 

Personalise Communication 

Strategies for effective communication involve personalised touchpoints. Sending regular updates on application status and timeline, with personalised messaging, demonstrates respect for the candidate’s time and builds trust.

Doing this manually is not always possible, especially for larger companies. Using an ATS is a great way to achieve personalised messaging easily.

Reimbursing Candidates for Their Time 

To enhance the positive candidate experience, consider reimbursing candidates for their time. This acknowledges their efforts and demonstrates a commitment to fairness. 

By integrating these communication strategies into the recruitment process, companies not only hone a positive candidate experience, but also solidify their reputation as employers who value transparency and genuine engagement. This contributes to both short-term successful hires and the long-term strengthening of employer branding.

5. Gather and Act on Feedback 

Collecting and acting on feedback is a powerful tool to improve candidate experience, naturally saving the business money. A few years ago, Virgin Media stated that negative candidate experience had cost them a whopping $5 million annually. This reinforces the importance of collecting feedback and then translating it into actionable improvements to ensure an ongoing positive candidate experience in recruitment. 

How to Measure Candidate Experience 

• Candidate Surveys

Request candidates to complete a concise survey at the end of the hiring process to gather direct feedback on their experience. Implement a well-crafted candidate experience survey template to assess various aspects systematically.

• Employer Review Boards

Monitor employer review platforms like Glassdoor and Indeed to gauge public sentiment and identify areas for improvement in the candidate experience in recruitment. Analyse both positive and negative reviews to inform strategies for enhancing the process.

• Social Media Listening

Leverage social media platforms to actively listen for mentions of your brand and comments regarding candidate experience. This real-time feedback provides valuable insights into how your organisation is perceived and helps shape candidate experience strategies.

• New Hire Feedback

Ask for feedback from newly hired candidates to gain insights into their journey from acceptance to onboarding. Understanding their perspective provides actionable information for improving the positive candidate experience and refining recruitment strategies.

• Employee Input

Conduct interviews with employees to gather insights into their perceptions of the hiring process, including any information they may have acquired. Additionally, seek their impressions on integrating new hires into the team. This aims to uncover valuable clues about the effectiveness of your onboarding process.

• ATS Data Analysis

Use the ATS data to assess various recruitment stages. Analysing metrics such as time-to-fill, application completion rates, and candidate progression helps quantify the effectiveness of candidate experience strategies and identify areas for optimisation.

Metrics to Consider 

Below are five key performance indicators (KPIs) that recruiters should consider to measure and improve candidate experience.

1. Time-to-Fill: Assess how quickly vacancies are filled, ensuring a streamlined and efficient process.

2. Candidate Net Promoter Score (NPS): Gauge the likelihood of candidates recommending the company to others, providing an overview of their satisfaction.

3. Application Completion Rate: Track the percentage of candidates completing the application process, indicating its user-friendliness.

4. Offer Acceptance Rate: Measure the percentage of candidates accepting job offers, reflecting the attractiveness of the role and overall experience.

5. Candidate Satisfaction Surveys: Directly collect feedback from candidates about their experience, offering qualitative insights for improvement.

By focusing on these key metrics, recruiters can comprehensively understand the candidate experience, pinpoint areas for enhancement, and implement strategies to elevate the overall recruitment process.

Summary 

Ensuring a positive candidate experience is the backbone for success in recruitment. From streamlining the application process to coaching hiring managers and gathering actionable feedback, the strategies explored here form a robust framework for improving candidate experience. 

Remember, each interaction is an opportunity to showcase your company’s values and culture, making a lasting impression on potential hires. By prioritising a positive candidate experience, you attract top talent and solidify your position as an employer committed to continually improving and adapting to the evolving needs of the talent landscape.

Wondering how you can improve your marketing candidate’s experience during the recruitment process? Take a look at our candidate experience services or get in touch to speak to the team about how we can help.