In 2017, CareerArc surveyed more than 1,000 candidates and asked them about the current and future state of recruitment. Their survey reviewed things that -if we are completely honest – already expected, but it also gave some interesting insights. In short, and we’ll go in depth a bit more, your candidate’s experience influences not only the likelihood of them working their but even the chances of them buying products or using services. The candidate experience is very important.

Your Employer Brand

We’ve talked about it before but how you are perceived in the marketplace, is important. And it’s beyond how your brand is seen from a commercial or customer perspective. Review sites as indeed.com or glassdoor.com provide an insight of how employees perceive working there. The CareerArc study shows that more than half (55%) abandons the application process before completion after reading a negative review, but the same number of companies doesn’t look at their reviews online.

You need to be part of the 45%. Actively look for reviews on the large job boards and review sites, search engines and other sites that could display reviews – positive or negative. Respond to them where feasible, and explain your view of the situation, actions you have taken or anything that could dampen the review online without blatantly discrediting the review without addressing anything. Make sure it’s genuine and believable. If you read things you know for a fact are true, take them up with your team and leadership and see whether there are things you can do to change the situation or circumstances.

Establish Trust

As you know, information now is immediate. It has been for a while when after TV and new channels, the internet was introduced. Now, social media has accelerated the possibility of spreading information with a magnitude. Platforms, either specific for job seekers or the platforms we all know and use for a variety of purposes, make sharing information as easy as pie. That means that information on a bad candidate experience also spreads easily. And on top of that, the internet never forgets.

In line with my previous point, you build trust by communicating, being open and transparent. Even brands that are cherished by many are not perfect, and people are willing to accept that if their communication is honest. “Yes, the pace here is brutal, and you have to stay on top of things in order to be successful. But our culture and team are world class.”  – Ok, that makes sense, I will apply and understand I may be tired at the end of the week.

Trust also comes from being honest. There are certain industries that have a bad reputation, whether it’s justified or not. For some, it will not be possible to change the perception that people have by simply stating a different reality. “I can see that this is not true, because I have eyes”. But you can do a lot to counter it. If you’re in an industry that’s known for having an impact on the environment and you can’t easily change production processes, balance it out by giving back in different areas. Organize clean-ups or start sustainability initiatives that exist next to the other brand. Don’t try and cover up what people see clearly, but acknowledge it, change what you can and balance out the rest.

The Candidate Experience

Another topic we addressed before. The way the candidates are treated is important for their appreciated or dissatisfaction with your organization – and with that, your brand. The area that is in the most need of improvement is the wait time between start of the process and interviews, and the final verdict. I have seen too many times that candidates receive information and follow up on the process after weeks, and sometimes months. That doesn’t come across well. You may get points for allowing some kind of closure for the candidates, but you lose lots and lots of points for having the candidate wait, showing you don’t really care that much, and closing the process out to complete it, close the audit trail or other, purely administrative reasons.

Upgrade and optimize your process and build in milestones to regularly and frequently communicate with clients. Show the effort, and show that you care. If your fear is that the candidate will drop out, you can stop it – they will anyway. And for worse reasons than hearing “we don’t have an update yet but we truly appreciate your patience”.

Your Employer Proposition

And that is where it all ties together.

When your employer brand is in sync with your company brand, it increases trust across all platforms. Your culture and how you’re perceived by customers and candidates is aligned. Remember – candidates can be customers as well.

Be open and honest. If you’re known to run a killer shop, you can’t have your message on “careers.thiskillershop.com” be that it’s a welcoming, tranquil experience. You may fool a few but word spreads easily.

With the rise and the ever-increasing importance of social media, story-telling and the brand experience, it’s crucial you do this well. In the end, you’ll retain more people, and it will be easier to retain people as well. In the end, everybody wins.  

About us

AskAway improves your candidate\’s recruitment experience. We disrupt the way recruitment is done, by eliminating the need to plan and schedule time-consuming meetings in packed agendas and by offering tools to record or even prerecord interviews. This allows you and your hiring team the opportunity to share and analyze the candidates for your interviews when it suits you. We pre-screen so you don’t have to: talk about the ultimate time management tool.

Contact us to find out more, or sign up for a no-strings attached free demo of our tool here.