Human Resources Glossary / Candidate Experience
Candidate Experience
What is the candidate experience?
The candidate experience refers to how a candidate feels during and after a company’s recruitment process. When implemented properly, it can leave the individual feeling well informed and respected, with a favorable overall impression of the company and its professionalism, efficiency, and personal engagement. In the long term, a corporate reputation built on these three pillars is more likely to entice top talent to apply for a position at the organization.
Approached poorly or negligently, the candidate experience could sour an applicant’s desire to work for the company at all — and prompt them to warn others against applying. This would ultimately leave the company with a much smaller talent pool from which to draw — and this could lead to operational inefficiency, higher staff turnover, and smaller profit margins.
Why is the candidate experience important?
Just as a candidate has one chance to make a good impression on the company they’re applying to, companies have a single opportunity to impress candidates through the way they conduct their hiring process.
The candidate’s perception of the end-to-end recruitment journey can prove to be the difference between attracting top talent and losing out to a competitor. With this in mind, it’s essential for the hiring manager, HR team, and recruitment team to invest sufficient time into crafting a strong, engaging candidate experience where the candidate feels supported every step of the way – including when applying for the position, being invited for interview, being informed of decisions and next steps in a timely manner, and during onboarding.
It’s important to keep in mind that a strong candidate experience is not just for the benefit of the candidate. An employer’s brand is built on elements such as word of mouth, online reviews, and recommendations, all of which are influenced by the candidate experience. If, for example, a candidate is unsuccessful with their application, yet felt satisfied with the hiring process, they would be more likely not only to apply again in future but to recommend the company to other skilled workers.
The candidate experience continues to have a ripple effect in the event that a candidate secures the job. Having demonstrated that the company is invested in the well-being of staff and applicants alike, this instills a positive mindset in the new hire that can be reinforced during the onboarding process — resulting in a loyal, satisfied, motivated employee. This reduces recruitment costs, as the rate of staff turnover will likely be much lower, especially in the long term.
Ultimately, a strong candidate experience lays the foundations for higher employee satisfaction and better employee retention/lower turnover. It also serves as a calling card to the wider talent pool that this is an organization which takes candidates’ time and resources seriously — and is therefore more likely to provide a rewarding employment experience.
How to build a positive candidate experience
The seven steps below are a good start for building a candidate experience that will attract top talent, impress candidates, and streamline a company’s recruitment funnel in the long term. The key is for HR, the hiring manager, and the departmental head to collaborate on these steps as required to ensure the experience is as positive and smooth as possible.
1. Write a clear job description
When preparing a job description, it’s important to make sure the content accurately reflects the position that the candidate is applying for.
This means listing responsibilities, required skills and qualifications, and applicant benefits. The clearer you are from the outset, the more suitable the candidates will be.
2. Use employee personas
Like customers in the world of retail, there are several employee “archetypes” you can create to give everyone involved in the hiring process a stronger idea of which archetype is required for the role.
This enables the recruitment strategy (e.g., platforms where the job is advertised) to be tailored accordingly, saving valuable time in the long run.
3. Streamline the application process
To keep the candidate engaged and interested in applying, it’s important to ensure the application process is as simple and straightforward as possible.
This should start with the online job portal (e.g., the ability to save an application, ease of navigating the platform, providing a scheduling tool to state preferred interview times, etc.) and extend to all communications after the initial application is submitted.
4. Keep the applicant informed
Whether you decide to advance the hiring process to the next stage or reject the application, make sure to inform the applicant after making your decision.
Although they may be disappointed at not having been offered an interview or the position, they will still feel respected by the company. If the candidate does end up securing the position, this will leave them with a strong first impression.
5. Decide on an interview style
Traditional interview or behavioral interview? Multiple interviewers or just one? A tour of the office or not? Half an hour or longer? The candidate experience benefits from knowing the answers to these questions in advance.
An interview that appears haphazard or conducted in an improvised manner will not leave a good impression. Design the interview structure, write down questions, and consider how to approach the time before/after the interview.
6. Inform the applicant about their progress
Once the interviews are over, it’s time to compare the candidates and make a few (possibly difficult) decisions. Something that’s not difficult: informing the applicant as soon as possible about whether they have progressed to the next interview or, as the case may be, secured the position.
The same applies if they are not the right candidate for the role after all — let them know sooner rather than later, so they can apply elsewhere.
7. Reach out to unselected candidates
Liked a candidate, but they weren’t suitable for the position? For future positions that might fit their skills, reach out to them first.
This is a good way to reactivate the candidate experience long after its “natural” conclusion and demonstrate to the applicant that their connection with the company is a meaningful one.
Bonus: Not sure if your candidate experience needs to be refined? Prepare a short survey and send it to new hires and unselected candidates to find out. Include questions such as:
• How satisfied were you with the application process overall?
• Did you find it easy to use our application tools?
• Do you feel we kept you informed at all times?
• Would you apply to us again?
• Would you recommend our company to colleagues?
• In your opinion, is there anything we could improve?
The candidate experience: four key advantages
A candidate experience that is memorable for all the right reasons brings a multitude of benefits to a company.
Here are the top four:
1. Better employee retention
An applicant who has a positive candidate experience is more likely to remain with the company for longer than a new hire who rarely felt seen or heard during the recruitment process.
If the candidate experience goes smoothly, the new employee should enjoy a strong bond with their team leader, feel empowered to approach managers with questions and feedback, and be motivated to deliver for a company that has made every effort to make them feel welcome from the moment they read the job vacancy.
2. Reduced hiring and onboarding costs
This is related to higher employee retention in that a good candidate experience will likely find the right individual for the job — making it less likely that they leave or need to be replaced later on.
In addition, this makes it easier to bring them up to speed with their new responsibilities, as the likelihood is higher that they will already have comparable experience from a previous position. Since recruitment and onboarding are expensive, time-consuming processes, this is good news for the corporate bottom line.
3. A stronger talent pool
The right candidate experience attracts the right candidates for the job. It’s as simple as that. Tailor every step to make it as streamlined, welcoming, and informative as possible, and it won’t be long before your talent pool is twice the size it once was.
Talented workers want to work for the best employers, and the best employers are those who care about their staff — and this starts with showing respect to applicants.
4. A boost for the brand
Whether a candidate is successful or not, it’s more likely that they will become a brand ambassador if you treat them well during the recruitment process. In essence, it amounts to free advertising: If a candidate is impressed by the application portal, interview, and communication, they’ll sing your praises.
This will boost your reputation among the wider workforce as a company that goes the extra mile for its prospects, new hires, and existing employees.
What to avoid in a candidate experience
There are several practices that should be avoided at all costs; otherwise, you run the risk of losing your candidate to the competition.
Above all, do not:
• Leave communication to the last second: Whether a rejection, interview invitation, or job offer, the candidate should receive this information as soon as possible, so they can plan accordingly.
• Overcomplicate the hiring process: Try to keep the number of interviews to a minimum and strive to maintain the same point of contact for the applicant throughout the recruitment process in order to create a personal bond.
• Be vague with regard to the job description and duties: Whether in the job posting or the interview, be as precise as possible when describing the role. If the candidate doesn’t know what to expect, there’s a higher risk they will apply for the wrong position, turn down the job, or leave shortly after being employed.
Best practices
Aside from the steps detailed above, there are a few basic rules to keep in mind when seeking to develop a rewarding candidate experience.
Communication is key
Like in any relationship, communication dictates the extent to which each party feels seen, heard, and respected. As the corporate side, it’s your job to reach out to the candidate at every stage of the recruitment funnel.
This includes:
• An automated or personalized email thanking the candidate for their application
• A confirmation of an interview, along with information about where/when/how the interview will take place
• A follow-up communication thanking the applicant for their time
• An email or phone call informing the applicant in good time that they have been (un)successful in securing the position
• Timely details about the onboarding process, including administrative, legal, and organizational information
Get personal
Wherever possible in the recruitment funnel, try to forge a personal connection with the candidate. They are not a resumé; they are an individual with a name, background, and aspirations.
Address them by their first name in every communication, ask personal questions during the interview, and try to remember details and add them into subsequent communications to demonstrate that you are listening and that you care.
Always show respect
The standard of your hiring process reflects your professionalism as a company. Even if the candidate is wholly unsuited to the role or their interview was a disaster, treat them with the same consideration as you would a star talent — after all, they may prove to be suited to another role in future or, at the very least, offer a positive review of the brand to others.
From candidate to employee experience
Even if an applicant receives and accepts a job offer, the candidate journey does not end here. It extends to onboarding, which should be as streamlined, uncomplicated, and personalized as the other steps. The goal is to make the new hire experience the same level of care as they did prior to securing the job.
Build their confidence from the outset by giving them all the information they need for an exceptional first day at work: a welcome pack, directions, an itinerary, the company code of conduct, and other key documents. Have the team leader/departmental head and (potentially) team members reach out to welcome the new hire. Depending on the size of the organization, post an employee profile to the company’s social media channels, welcoming them into the fold. And always be available, whether by email, phone, or both, to answer questions and allay any fears they may have.
The onboarding process is the final step in the candidate experience — so strive to make it smooth, simple, and enjoyable.
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