Generate 5x more qualified candidates
Providing a good candidate experience is essential for any company. But it remains a sore point for most companies: in fact, it's been the #1 issue for candidates for several years now. The crux of the problem? Lack of feedback. Most jobseekers have, at one time or another, experienced the dreaded application "black hole", or worse, been completely "ghosted" by a company at an advanced stage in the recruitment process. A recent study shows that half of all applicants are ignored following an interview. How can we avoid repeating these same mistakes and offer a good candidate experience?
Focus on the candidate experience
The candidate experience refers to all the interactions and events that candidates go through when applying for a job. It extends from the discovery of the job offer, through the preparation and submission of the application, participation in job interviews and communication with recruiters, to the refusal or acceptance of the position.
Candidate experience can have a significant impact on how candidates perceive the company and their desire to work for it. A good experience may encourage them to apply for other positions and recommend the company to their network, while a negative experience may discourage them from applying for other positions and affect their perception of the company, and therefore the overall HR marketing strategy.
We sometimes forget the time and energy invested by candidates in fine-tuning their CVs, writing their cover letters, tailoring their applications and preparing for interviews. Of course, we may be overwhelmed by the volume of applications or frustrated by a lack of quality, but perhaps we don't have the right tools or processes to respond effectively. Whatever our challenges, we must never forget that there is a real person behind every application.
We all know the consequences of a bad experience for candidates: fewer job offers accepted, a negative impact on the employer's brand, and even a loss of business and therefore income.
In the best of cases, ignoring an application is still a slap in the face for the person concerned. In today's climate, with so much hope, anxiety and stress associated with every application, it can be a real psychological shock. Given this situation and the increasing number of applications, how can you be sure you're not that company? You know, the one that leaves its candidates in the lurch.
6 tips for improving the candidate experience
Make sure your recruitment process is underpinned by a strong feedback loop that protects not only the candidate experience, but also your employer brand. You can also download our step-by-step guide to optimizing your experience.
1. Abandon the slogan "only successful candidates will be contacted".
2. Answer all the candidates, really all of them.
3. Inform unsuccessful applicants that their application has been rejected.
4. Candidates rejected at pre-selection.
5. Candidates rejected after interview.
6. Reduce the number of unqualified applications and concentrate on the good ones!
Tip 1: Don't use the slogan "only successful candidates will be contacted".
Many variations of this slogan exist, and they're all bad. You make the candidate feel that the process will be totally impersonal. Don't forget that the job description has to be compelling, because it's a key element in attracting and engaging talent, so differentiating yourself at this stage is crucial.
Statements such as "only shortlisted candidates will be contacted" or "if you don't hear from us within two weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful" are not only bland, but condescending.
Why not include a statement indicating that you guarantee to respond to every candidate? Display a positive employer brand and stand out as a company committed to responding to candidates! And for your convenience, we've even included a list of recruitment-optimized email templates!
Tip 2: Answer all the candidates, really all of them.
Seducing candidates with a unique experience is an essential task for employer branding. The majority of candidates you meet will not be selected for a position.
A simple reply is a form of politeness that can stay in the applicant's mind and enhance your company's image and reputation. Before applying for a job, more and more candidates are finding out more about the company and looking for reviews on the Internet.
Someone who applies to your ad deserves a response, and even the most basic message will reassure the applicant. It may simply be a "well-received application" which, with the right tool, can be fully automated.
Thanks to an innovative HR solution that integrates intelligence and algorithms into your recruitment process, the match between supply and demand is facilitated and optimized, resulting in a greater number of qualified applications with programmatic HR.
Tip 3: Inform unsuccessful applicants that their application has been rejected.
This step is essential for the mental health of candidates. Failing to do so is a major strategic error on the part of the recruiter: you're not interested in this candidate for this position, but what's to say that you won't be interested in him tomorrow for another position for which he's a perfect match?
Except that, if you've simply given them an icy silence on their last application, there's little chance that they'll want to apply for the next one, even if it's a better match. It's vital that you inform each candidate of the outcome of their application. For successful candidates, this is inevitable, but for unsuccessful candidates (i.e. the majority), it's often overlooked.
Today, with all our technologies, it's easier than ever to do this. It can be as simple as sending a standard rejection e-mail, which at least lets people know where they stand. Ideally, thank the candidate and include them in your talent pools for future jobs.
Tip 4: Candidates rejected at the pre-selection stage
If your candidate has taken part in a test (or an initial pre-selection exchange), they deserve at least an e-mail informing them of the result. Here again, automatic solutions will take care of this for you.
For a truly successful experience, you should consider personalizing each message as much as possible. It's one thing to learn that you've been unsuccessful, but it can be difficult if the candidate doesn't get an explanation.
Including links to educational resources in your negative feedback will help take the candidate experience to the next level and help them in their job search.
Tip 5: Candidates rejected after interview
Depending on the recruitment process, candidates may be invited to attend one or more interviews. For each interview, you must provide personalized, verbal feedback on the outcome.
Each interview represents a significant investment on the part of the candidates. Not only will they have to take time out from their current commitments, but each interview also requires preparation (not to mention stress).
The best-case scenario is a phone call from the recruiter, who provides constructive, personalized feedback on performance and the reason for rejection.
But a phone call isn't always possible. For companies that recruit en masse, the volume of applications means that candidates further down the list may wait several days before being contacted.
A rejection email is the bare minimum in the case of mass recruitment, and should be supplemented by other types of feedback in the case of specific recruitment.
All candidates expect to receive a call following an interview. So you need to respond clearly to their expectations, letting them know in advance that you'll get back to them by e-mail if that's the method you've chosen.
Today, there are other alternatives, such as personalized video messages, which can be even more effective than the telephone, since they spare candidates an "uncomfortable" conversation.
While the best method may be open to debate, the same cannot be said of the need to give all candidates proper feedback after an interview. In other words, it's not acceptable to ignore a candidate after an interview - whoever you are.
Tip 6: Reduce the number of unqualified applications and concentrate on the good ones!
All this can be avoided by optimizing your recruitment process right from the start! Boosting your candidate acquisition enables you to drastically reduce the number of unqualified applications, so you can concentrate more easily on the candidate experience of the remaining applications.
The problem generally lies in the way you distribute your job offers: by limiting yourself to job boards, you only have access to active candidates, i.e. those who are looking for a job. As a result, you get a large number of unqualified applications - on average 30%. Think about multicasting job offers, which, to alleviate this problem, will reach both passive and active candidates.
There's a way to improve both your employer brand and your rate of qualified applications at the same time: programmatic recruitment. This technology enables you to determine your ideal candidate target, and then broadcast your job ad to only those active AND passive candidates, at the right time and in the right place, all over the web.
This means you only get applications that match your needs, so you can interact more effectively with your candidates, and optimize the rest of your recruitment process!
If your company succeeds in building a positive image with candidates, including those who have not been selected, then you will have made a significant contribution to improving your employer brand.
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