Your career site is like the welcome mat for your prospective candidates.
It’s the first place they go to learn more about you as an employer, and it’s your first opportunity to make an impression on the applicants who count.
Once they arrive, candidates begin making themselves at home. Navigating pages of content, browsing through photos or videos, and applying for the perfect job.
Sounds like a great experience, right?
The truth is that for most candidates, it’s not. Something more realistic may sound something like this: Scan through pages of heavy content, glance over smiling model stock photos, and spend an unreasonable amount of time to apply to one job.
Do you know which way your candidate’s experience would sway? What you find could be surprising. Whether it’s more ideal or slightly lacking, your career site could probably use some fine tuning.
Here are three tips for a winning candidate experience:
We’ve all been a job seeker at one point in our lives. Use that knowledge to test your own candidate experience. Understand common applicant woes and identify solutions to fix their challenges. Spend some time focusing on the application process. Is yours simple and intuitive? Or clunky and cumbersome? If you have an ATS, many candidates would say it’s the latter. If you discover any issues, take initiative to fix or improve them.
The biggest letdown for most candidates is a lack of communication. If you’re not telling applicants what the hiring process looks like, they’re left with no expectations. And that’s frustrating for someone who wants to work for you. Avoid leaving candidates in the dark by ensuring you communicate throughout the entire process. For example, always send out automatic responses when an applicant applies. In your message, identify when they should hear from you and what the next steps may look like. If it’s not possible to contact everyone, a simple solution could look like this: “Any candidate who will be considered for the position will hear from one of our team members within one week.” This secures trust with your candidates, and guarantees a better experience.
Use your candidates as a resource for feedback, whether you hire them or not. At the end of the interview process, ask for a review of their experience. Use the critiques as inspiration for improvement, and keep them in mind for when you meet with the next candidate.
Investing in a positive applicant experience is the most important step you can take in talent acquisition. Not only will the candidates you hire will feel even more welcomed by your organization, but the candidates you don’t hire will at least walk away feeling respected. As a result, they will be more likely to refer other job seekers who may be a great fit for your organization.
