Candidate experience is a subjective topic often validated by the different candidates your organization attracts, interviews, hires and says “no” to throughout the year. The discussion around the positive and negative responses from your candidates, and the impacts these responses (especially negative ones) have on your organization, is a frequent “hot button” issue; one that is explored during conferences, internal talent acquisition team meetings and blog posts.
As VP of Client Solutions, Americas, here at WilsonHCG, I am throwing my hat into the discussion based on my recent, personal experiences as a candidate and the subsequent passion I’ve developed for truly exceptional candidate journeys.
In December of 2016, I became a candidate; for two and a half months I met with eight organizations and took part in more than 15 interviews. From these discussions and interviews, only three of the eight businesses provided what felt like a truly positive candidate experience. Of these three, two offered me roles and one ultimately passed – yet, regardless of offer or non-offer, each of these three left me feeling both appreciative and fulfilled regarding the experience, their processes and businesses as a whole.
Conversely, I doubt it will surprise you to hear that three of the companies who conducted phone interviews never called back; one organization offered an opportunity, verbally, and then never followed up or returned my phone calls; and another business invited me for in-person interviews but shared horribly inconsistent, clumsy information during the process about why the role was open, the vision for their business, and the long-term strategy around the opportunity. Ironically, each of these three businesses, who created negative experiences, all frequently share online information about how important “people” are to their overall missions, visions and values.
My call to action for organizations – regardless of size or sophistication – is an invitation to consider three candidate experience themes that I received during my time as a candidate. They’re simple and perhaps obvious, but done right… they’re powerful.
Creating an experience your candidates appreciate doesn’t have to be complicated or overly sophisticated to be effective. Show candidates you are listening, consistent in your messaging, connected and on the same page with the overall business, willing and accountable in sharing frequent feedback throughout the process, and transparent every step of the way – with a focus on these three principles, I wholeheartedly believe your recruitment process will ensure positive experiences.