Five Strategies to Create a Positive Candidate Experience while Recruiting

Candidate experience is a crucial part of the hiring process.

Simply put, candidate experience encompasses all the interactions and experiences candidates have throughout the recruitment process, from when they come across a job ad until they are hired or not. In a candidate-driven market, candidate experience can significantly impact recruiting success.

Creating a positive candidate experience helps enhance employer branding and strengthen the talent pipeline for the future. But above all, a positive candidate experience greatly improves the chances of offer acceptance by selected candidates. A positive candidate experience allows recruiters to maintain a good relationship with positive leads and potential candidates, which can greatly help future vacancies.

How to create a positive candidate experience?

1. The Job Search Experience

The job search experience includes the interactions and experiences of potential candidates while they come across job ads. It is important to ensure that job seekers get a positive experience when they see a job listing or advertisement and how they interact with it.

The job description is the first part of the candidate’s experience. It is important to ensure that your job advert creates a good impression of your company and clearly outlines the job role. To make it more effective, you must provide clear and concise information and talk about the company culture, growth opportunities, expectations, role requirements, salary, etc., highlighting what the candidate can get from that job or by joining the company.

2. The Application Experience

The application experience should be smooth, and instruction or application requirements must be clear and hassle-free to provide a great experience. Job seekers abandon applications in mid-way if they are asked to fill out complex application forms or put in a lot of effort. When you are hiring for highly skilled positions or reaching out to passive candidates, the application experience is of great importance, as the chances of getting a response are low. Still, a good experience can prompt the prospects to apply or acknowledge the emails. Streamline the process to ensure they are not required to fill out unnecessary information in the form so they don’t find the process a waste of their time.

3. The Interview and Selection Experience

The pre-interview screening, scheduling, and interview process comprise the hiring experience. If you want to create a positive candidate experience during this stage of the recruiting process, you must be proactive in your follow-ups and communication. Communication should also be transparent and include all the necessary details and information regarding the job responsibilities and expectations. If the candidate is well aware of the number of rounds of an interview that will take place or what tests and assessments, personality, IQ, or skill tests they must clear, it creates a positive experience overall.

Prompt communication is a significant aspect of the application experience. Little or no feedback about the application or a lack of communication creates a negative experience for applicants. Recruiters should ensure that there are no long delays in the responses. A lag in feedback leads to a worse experience with each passing day, making candidates see the company unfavorably.

4. The Post-Interview Experience

One of the best ways to create a positive candidate experience is to show them a little respect and follow up with every applicant. Nothing is worse for a candidate than not hearing back or delayed responses, especially after the interview. Recruiters must inform the candidates about the status of their job applications or interview results even if they are not selected. This helps to maintain good relationships with the candidates and keeps them in the pipeline for future vacancies.

Also, candidates who are treated well are more likely to improve their performance to match the expectations in case they are selected for the job. Asking for their feedback on the process is also important for improving the overall candidate experience. You can ask for feedback in a simple Q&A session during the interview or afterward. However, it is important to ensure that this feedback is not part of the consideration process and that negative feedback does not affect the candidate’s chances of getting selected.

5. The Onboarding Process

The onboarding process of the selected candidate is also part of the candidate experience. Businesses must ensure that the onboarding process is smooth and makes the employee feel welcome. It is helpful to make all preparations before the employee arrives, and the onboarding process starts on the first day. Data from a Gallup poll indicates that only 12% of employees said their employer did a great job onboarding new employees. The use of effective online software can make the onboarding process easy for training employees, completing paperwork and compliance formalities, etc. A negative onboarding experience is more likely to make an employee look for a new job, while a positive preboarding and onboarding experience can significantly impact their decision to stay.

Create a Positive Candidate Experience with Offshore RPO Services

A study¹ by IBM shows that candidates are 38% more likely to accept job offers when they have a positive candidate experience. A great way to create a positive candidate experience and improve your overall recruitment process is through Outsourcing. Offshore RPO services facilitate hiring dedicated recruiters with the right skill set and training to provide a positive candidate experience throughout the full cycle recruitment process. Especially for candidates from technical fields, advanced fields, or when hiring for senior managerial roles or C-suite professionals.

QX Recruitment Services are providers of the best offshore RPO services and have over 18 years of experience in outsourcing recruitment processes and helping staffing companies in the UK and the US meet recruiting goals. If you want to learn more about creating a positive candidate experience and finding the best talent for your hiring requirements, get in touch with us for a free consultation to understand how we can add value to your staffing business.

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Originally published Dec 16, 2022 02:12:50, updated Feb 05 2024

Topics: Candidate experience, Candidate Sourcing, Offshore RPO Services, Outsourcing