7 Tips to
Create
the Ideal
Candidate
Experience
How to be a Magnet
for Top Talent
Your Recruiting Process is Broken.
Here’s How to Fix It.
Searching and applying for a job, at virtually any level, can be frustrating. And it’s often no
walk in the park on the other side, either. Finding the right candidate is a challenge. And
it can be heartbreaking to lose a dream candidate to inefficiency, poor communication or
just an overall lackluster experience. If this sounds familiar, at least take comfort in the fact
that you’re not alone.
CANDIDATES REPORT TWO MAJOR FRUSTRATIONS (1):
Lack of communication during the application process
Amount of time spent completing applications
And unfortunately, the frustration lingers.
83% 59% 42%
Candidates who had Would tell others would avoid
a bad experience not to apply buying the
would never apply company’s
to the offending products
company again
BUT THERE’S A BRIGHT SIDE (2).
A positive candidate experience bestows outsized rewards on the savvy
companies that get it right.
70%
80% 88% 71%
Organizations that
invest in a strong
candidate experience
Candidates More likely to tell More likely to buy improve their quality
who had a good others to apply the company’s
experience would products or
of hires by 70%
apply again services –BRANDON HALL,
THE TRUE COST OF A BAD HIRE
Your Recruiting Process is Broken.
Here’s How to Fix It.
Searching and applying for a job, at virtually any level, can be frustrating. And it’s often no
walk in the park on the other side, either. Finding the right candidate is a challenge. And
it can be heartbreaking to lose a dream candidate to inefficiency, poor communication or
just an overall lackluster experience. If this sounds familiar, at least take comfort in the fact
that you’re not alone.
CANDIDATES REPORT TWO MAJOR FRUSTRATIONS (1):
Lack of communication during the application process
Amount of time spent completing applications
And unfortunately, the frustration lingers.
83% 59% 42%
Candidates who had Would tell others would avoid
a bad experience not to apply buying the
would never apply company’s
to the offending products
company again
BUT THERE’S A BRIGHT SIDE (2).
A positive candidate experience bestows outsized rewards on the savvy
companies that get it right.
70%
80% 88% 71%
Organizations that
invest in a strong
candidate experience
Candidates More likely to tell More likely to buy improve their quality
who had a good others to apply the company’s
experience would products or
of hires by 70%
apply again services –BRANDON HALL,
THE TRUE COST OF A BAD HIRE
So, improving your candidate
experience is well worth the time. NOW, BRING IT ALL HOME IRL (IN REAL LIFE)
Welcome the Candidate into Your Work-Home
Here’s where to start. Make the first face-to-face meeting with your candidate memorable, in a good way.
Put yourself in their shoes. What would make you feel comfortable in a similar situation?
For example:
• Answer all the typical questions ahead of time, e.g., suggested attire, a list of things
to bring, an agenda that includes the names and titles of the people the candidate
MAKE IT EASY will meet with, etc.
Make Applications Short & Sweet • Make the interview room welcoming. Provide beverages (bottled water is best) and if
Save the hard questions and scrutiny for the later rounds. Your initial application should be you’re really ambitious, you might even include a welcome card in the room as well.
as simple as possible to ensure a satisfying candidate experience. Studies show that 60% of • It never hurts to give candidates a gift bag on the way out. Mugs, t-shirts, pens…
job seekers will leave a job application prior to completion due to complexity. whatever you have. It’s the thought that counts.
Provide Instant Gratification Prep Your Team
The candidate experience should be like a conversation. When the candidate knocks, Here’s where you can make a big impact: make sure the hiring team is prepared. After all,
open the door. Applying for jobs online can feel impersonal. That’s actually to your interviews are a two-way street (or at least they should be). Coach your internal team to
advantage. Routine, helpful communication throughout the application process is an get them up-to-speed on the candidate. Make sure everyone has the relevant info; not
easy way to separate yourself from the competition. Employers that actively communicate just the candidate’s resume, but notes on what conversations you or the recruiter have
with candidates naturally create stronger employment brands and generally have a better had with the candidate prior to the interview. If everyone has the same information, the
chance to land top talent. candidate will notice and be impressed that your team is on the same page.
The way you recruit says a lot about your organization. Each aspect of the process should
be efficient and create the desired first impression that will lead top talent to your door.
Click here to learn how Paycor can help increase your productivity and streamline your
organization’s recruiting process.
MASTER MOBILE
Fish Where the Fish Are
86% of active candidates use their phones to begin a job search. 71% want to apply via
mobile. (3) Candidates are no different than consumers in general; everyone’s going
mobile. It just doesn’t make sense to treat the mobile applicant experience as a separate
piece of an overall talent acquisition strategy.
Invest in a Mobile Careers Page
Mobile career sites turn traditional career sites into easy to navigate, mobile friendly job
seekingexperiences. Reduce the number of clicks and the amount of scrolling. Make it
easy for applicants to get the information they need. Remember, the fewer the clicks, the
more likely an applicant will convert to a candidate.
But Don’t Stop There
A mobile-friendly career page is next to worthless without a complimentary mobile job
application process. Throughout the application process, your job applications need to
also seamlessly adapt to any screen. And, given that many smartphone and tablets don’t
have a filesystem (no local storage to store a resume), you’ll need to provide the ability to Sources:
upload resumes stored in cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox. (1) Talent Board study, (2) Software Advice, (3) Newton Software
So, improving your candidate
experience is well worth the time. NOW, BRING IT ALL HOME IRL (IN REAL LIFE)
Welcome the Candidate into Your Work-Home
Here’s where to start. Make the first face-to-face meeting with your candidate memorable, in a good way.
Put yourself in their shoes. What would make you feel comfortable in a similar situation?
For example:
• Answer all the typical questions ahead of time, e.g., suggested attire, a list of things
to bring, an agenda that includes the names and titles of the people the candidate
MAKE IT EASY will meet with, etc.
Make Applications Short & Sweet • Make the interview room welcoming. Provide beverages (bottled water is best) and if
Save the hard questions and scrutiny for the later rounds. Your initial application should be you’re really ambitious, you might even include a welcome card in the room as well.
as simple as possible to ensure a satisfying candidate experience. Studies show that 60% of • It never hurts to give candidates a gift bag on the way out. Mugs, t-shirts, pens…
job seekers will leave a job application prior to completion due to complexity. whatever you have. It’s the thought that counts.
Provide Instant Gratification Prep Your Team
The candidate experience should be like a conversation. When the candidate knocks, Here’s where you can make a big impact: make sure the hiring team is prepared. After all,
open the door. Applying for jobs online can feel impersonal. That’s actually to your interviews are a two-way street (or at least they should be). Coach your internal team to
advantage. Routine, helpful communication throughout the application process is an get them up-to-speed on the candidate. Make sure everyone has the relevant info; not
easy way to separate yourself from the competition. Employers that actively communicate just the candidate’s resume, but notes on what conversations you or the recruiter have
with candidates naturally create stronger employment brands and generally have a better had with the candidate prior to the interview. If everyone has the same information, the
chance to land top talent. candidate will notice and be impressed that your team is on the same page.
The way you recruit says a lot about your organization. Each aspect of the process should
be efficient and create the desired first impression that will lead top talent to your door.
Click here to learn how Paycor can help increase your productivity and streamline your
organization’s recruiting process.
MASTER MOBILE
Fish Where the Fish Are
86% of active candidates use their phones to begin a job search. 71% want to apply via
mobile. (3) Candidates are no different than consumers in general; everyone’s going
mobile. It just doesn’t make sense to treat the mobile applicant experience as a separate
piece of an overall talent acquisition strategy.
Invest in a Mobile Careers Page
Mobile career sites turn traditional career sites into easy to navigate, mobile friendly job
seekingexperiences. Reduce the number of clicks and the amount of scrolling. Make it
easy for applicants to get the information they need. Remember, the fewer the clicks, the
more likely an applicant will convert to a candidate.
But Don’t Stop There
A mobile-friendly career page is next to worthless without a complimentary mobile job
application process. Throughout the application process, your job applications need to
also seamlessly adapt to any screen. And, given that many smartphone and tablets don’t
have a filesystem (no local storage to store a resume), you’ll need to provide the ability to Sources:
upload resumes stored in cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox. (1) Talent Board study, (2) Software Advice, (3) Newton Software
www.Paycor.com
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