The Candidate Experience: 4 Deadly Habits Worth Kicking
Yes, there are logical explanations: lack of organization, poor timing, and unmanaged expectations. And yet, we all have a common understanding of what hiring new talent means for our bottom line. While there some organizations and technologies are currently fighting the good fight against lousy candidate experiences, we must ask ourselves: are we simply not doing enough of the little things that matter to candidates?
Recently, research found that 52 percent of candidates felt like they were not being treated like an individual during the recruiting process. Wildly enough, 58 percent of them did not receive regular updates about their job application. By now, most of us who have gone job hunting know that, at times, it feels like you’re going on a wild goose chase. The candidate experience can’t always be perfect — but it can most certainly pursue the best possible outcomes on a consistent basis.
Part of making the candidate experience better is remembering that candidates are individuals and that the process of hiring people must be diligent and sincere. Let’s take a look at some of the deadly habits we shouldn’t perform during the recruiting process:
1. Not Being Timely
It’s quietly understood that until a candidate becomes an employee, organizations have limitations when it comes to wooing candidates — which is a polite way of saying candidates don’t matter until they’re on the payroll. However, when candidates put in the effort to be timely for a phone or face-to-face interview, it’s best you be on time as well. If you absolutely have to cancel, don’t wait until the candidate has made it to the office or respond 15 minutes after a scheduled a phone interview to announce your cancellation. This speaks loudly — and negatively — about what your organization is like.
2. Don’t Write Misleading Job Descriptions
According to a study, 43 percent of candidates have found out during an interview that the job didn’t match the job description they read. Candidates show up to an interview hoping to find an opportunity that can open a door to career growth and financial stability. Write honest job descriptions and be upfront with candidates about what responsibilities and expectations. Transparency can go a long way.
3. Stringing Candidates Along
A thoughtful candidate experience doesn’t neglect the existing realties that people must face. It understands that whether a candidate is employed or unemployed, they face an important career decision that needs to be made. When it’s time to start interviewing candidates, it’s also time to make a hiring decision. It’s not an opportunity to be indecisive and display disorganization. Remember, we all have to pay bills. Part of treating people like they matter in this process is understanding where they are coming from. Research shows that a good candidate experience has positive lasting effects: when done right, 56 percent of candidates will consider pursuing future employment with the organization again.
4. Failing to Give Someone a Chance
We can measure success after it happens, but we can’t measure someone’s will and determination to succeed until they’ve been given a chance. Yes, having experience matters for candidates. How else do we get our resumes to stand out? Right now, there are some candidates who possess great potential. They just need to be given a chance. Focus on sizing up candidates on what they are really passionate about and learn how to channel this passion. Try to understand how their passion is connected to their career goals. Figure this out, and you may learn what motivates them, which is what employee engagement is all about.
Final Words
Remember, no candidate is ever qualified for their job on day one, but there are candidates who are ready to face any challenge on day one. Learn how to avoid deadly candidate experience mistakes to make a difference in recruiting talent.