Is your recruitment process broken?

Candidates have no shortage of employment options, they don’t even have to be actively looking, so how do we ensure they are receiving the best possible experience in the recruitment process (see diagram below)? Identifying ways of increasing engagement by refining recruitment processes and using technology is a start.

 

The candidate experience is so important that, according to a report by Talent Board, 67% of workers say that the application, interview or offer process would have a significant bearing on whether or not they’d accept a job. Imagine doing all the hard work to find you perfect candidate to find that their candidate experience was lacklustre, less than hoped for or you were beaten by a competitor because their engagement was better. Think about it, candidates rarely have a previous relationship with your company and this may be their first foray to your industry. 

As an agency recruiter our candidates are our clients. One practice we borrowed from sales is Candidate Relationship Management (CRM). Using a CRM model ensures our consultants maintain dialogue with candidates to gain insight into their career goals and aspirations beyond their next placement, significantly increasing engagement with candidates. Our CRM improves relationships with candidates for current and future opportunities as it can aggregate candidates’ strengths, skills, preferences and levels of interest. This streamlines the attraction and assessment process, generating a more positive experience for the candidate.

 

Tip: Use technology to populate rudimentary information and connect with candidates either through, phone, text, messenger or email regularly to gain insight to their employment requirements.

From the outset, communication is the most important focus when engaging with candidates. During the recruitment process we know candidates find it extremely frustrating when a potential employer goes radio silent, especially after an application is received or an initial interview is conducted. Don’t leave candidates in the dark allowing them to assume they have been unsuccessful as they will seek alternatives. Look at simple improvements to your communication strategy ensuring you have a connection point at each phase of the recruitment process. This lets candidates know if and when they progress to the next stage. 

Contemporary job seekers want the ability to set communication preferences for call, text or email messages, based on their schedule and comfort-level with speaking to recruiters. In a world were feedback is at our fingertips(instant), using technology to automate push notifications to candidates can keep them engaged in the process. 

 

Tip: Consider implementing AI powered chat bots so candidates can have their queries answered at any time of the day.

Whilst we want to source the best possible candidate and we put them through a robust recruitment methodology, don’t make them jump through unnecessary hoops.  LinkedIn reports 60% of job seekers will abandon the application process if it’s too long or complex. Consider a well-designed recruitment site that reduces the time it takes for a candidate to apply for a position results in a more pleasant candidate experience. This should include using the best technology available. Technology solutions are making it possible to automate previous manual tasks, helping speed up processes and improve hiring outcomes. An applicant-tracking system can also help improve the candidate experience by automating responses that go out at various stages of the application process. 

 

Tip: Use technology to automate tasks for candidates and ensure it is mobile friendly. For eg. Allow candidates to upload their resume with minimal formatting rather than ask them to complete and application form and attach a resume.