4 steps to a better Candidate Experience in 2021

Usually, you would hear how job applicants worry about making a good first impression at job interviews and during the procedure of hiring them. Today we will be discussing the opposite. Where the employers are the ones who now feel forced and pressured to make a good first impression, at the same time giving them a good experience. It has been said to be a changing HR mindset that is taking place in all departments and industries, for positive reasons.

Trending improvement that is occurring in applicants

Before the time of social media, applicants had the least expectation for the hiring procedures. When they would have a good, positive experience that is all great. However, when they received a negative experience during the process they most likely would have shared it with family and friends over the phone or at dinner. And that is, not going further on to someone else.

Statistics show that 3.78 billion people use social media and as the year goes by it will increase. These days with social media being everywhere and nearly every person has access to it so easily times have changed. This is because applicants that are not happy with the experience during the job interview straight away will post it all over social media. Here they will share their experience with hundreds or many even thousands of people on multiple social media platforms. With the power of social media, it can take up only seconds for people to see. Reputational damage can be caused to the employer making it difficult to make the job appealing to another potential applicant.

This being said it can work both ways if the applicant is happy and satisfied with the interview process they can share this on social media, which is giving the employer positive feedback. Which is good for the employer.

It can be said that employers should reevaluate their hiring process and look at what they can improve on for a more premium, positive hiring process.

What exactly is premium applicant experience?

A premium applicant experience could be described as a seamless, engaging experience. This can also be to appeal to more talent, this is because giving other applicants a good and positive experience will create ‘word of mouth promotion about the interview service and the company, attracting new talent. After giving an applicant the interview experience, they should feel positive about the company, again this an make them eager to share their experience with others. Therefore, helping to build your reputation for the company and the employer. Another way to ensure an excellent applicant experience is by giving them full attention at the interview. This can include, being at the interview on time, being prepared and organised so that you know exactly what you need to say and the information that is needed to give the applicant and maybe even creating a list of questions that are relevant to the job position. This way you will not have your attention somewhere else and give a good impression to the applicant.

Tips for you to remove during the applicant interview process

Things that put applicants off, causing them to leave the hiring procedure is usually just the little things. Removing these factors during the process can allow the applicant to experience a better, easier experience, where you can engage more with them. Read the following for some points to look at when you go through your next hiring process.

• Make your hiring process mobile advanced. As within the UK, nearly 84 per cent of adults own a smartphone. And 86 percent of people looking for a job with a smartphone will use them to search for possible jobs positions. 45 percent of people actually prefer to use their smartphones to track their application status.
• Developing a guidance/ tip sheet for the hiring procedure. By doing this will eliminate the employer from missing any information or important details during the interview. The guidance/ tip sheet can also help to track the hiring process, to ensure that the employer does not miss anything. It can allow you to stay organised during interviews and the racking process. Within this guidance there it could be to make sure that you give the applicant information on exactly what to receive during the interview.
• To ensure everyone is on board with the premium applicant experience. Meaning all the departments within the company from HR to technology to employment screening partners have the same understanding of giving their applicants a premium experience. Everyone should be aware of the goal, which can be to remove anything to cause applicants to leave the hiring process.
• Having an annual measurement put into place. This can help with comparing your hiring process with other similar companies. For example, if your hiring process is taking double the time then another similar company can become insufficient for the applicants. Whereas, having an annual measurement put into place to see where you can improve and develop for a more sufficient hiring process. For the annual measurement reports, you can ask your hiring and background screening partners to carry them out. This can also help with more opportunities for the company.