Understanding the Candidate Experience
Unemployment continues to hold at record lows with a current rate of 3.7 percent. With an ever-tightening candidate pool, the candidate experience is an area you can’t overlook. To attract top talent and decrease the time it takes to fill open positions, attention to detail is everything. Discover why the candidate experience matters and how you can improve yours now.
Keep Applicants Coming Back
A recent whitepaper from IBM Smarter Workforce Institute finds the candidate experience begins even before application.
“Job applicants who do not receive a job offer are 80 percent more likely to apply again if they already had a positive impression of the hiring organization,” the IBM study finds. Not only will satisfied candidates apply again, but they are more than twice as likely to recommend the hiring organization to others.
Candidates who did not make the cut for the open position can still be choice talent for future jobs. Keep your hiring pool full of quality candidates by ensuring the process from beginning to end is positive.
Keep Applicants from Abandoning Application Process
According to the Society for Human Resource Management(SHRM), 60 percent of job seekers quit in the middle of filling out online job applications because of their length or complexity. Deciding on the application process can be like walking a tight-rope. While you may want a longer process to weed-out less serious candidates, this traditional method is actually causing good talent to leave as well.
SHRM argues that good candidates know their time is important. An easy solution? Ask questions up front to make it easier for you to separate real candidates from less-qualified applicants. Leverrecommends going through the process yourself, so you have first-hand experience. This will make it easier for you to spot areas to improve and remove.
A Good Reputation is Everything
When candidates have a poor application experience, they will not only abandon the process but they are more likely to share that experience with others. Of those job seekers who report having a negative candidate experience (which is over 60 percent!), 72 percent of them shared their experience online on an online employer review site.
The majority of job seekers read at least six reviews before forming an opinion on a company, according to Glassdoor. A poor candidate experience causes a ripple effect, motivating current applicants to abandon the process. They leave reviews that cause top talent from even beginning the process.
Manage Your Candidate Experience
Take time to review the process yourself. Pay attention to reviews and listen to previous applicants, taking their feedback in consideration. Provide applicants with constructive feedback and they will be 4 times more likely to consider your company in the future. Be sure your application process provides a way for candidates to check their application process. While you may not be able to respond to every person who applies, an automated system can easily track and report the applicant’s status.
If you’re spending more time than you have trying to fill open positions, consider outsourcing the application process! We are experts in managing candidate experience. This is our passion and our full-time focus. We maintain a pool of top candidates, vetting their experience and qualifications. With our resources, we bring candidates to you! Save time, money, and frustration by letting Charles Foster find the right one for you!