Yup. It’s all been wrong.
Most employers have been focusing on the wrong things when it comes to the candidate experience.
Maybe it feels the bigger the booth at a career fair, the bigger the recruiting numbers that will follow. (Not if candidates care more about making a connection than status.) Or maybe the conventional wisdom says having the coolest swag at a career fair is enough to win over top talent. (Not if candidates don’t feel good about the work they’re doing, argues LinkedIn.)
In reality, the candidate experience involves just two things: Showcasing your company culture and being respectful of a candidate’s time.
That’s it.
Only 59 percent of recruiting leaders are investing more in their employer brand, even though it’s such a critical component of the candidate experience. Translation: Your company can gain a competitive edge by focusing on employer branding, starting with company culture.
To build your employer brand, showcase your company culture. This can be done by posting pictures of team outings, videos of your team working on projects (to highlight collaboration and creativity), and articles that demonstrate thought-leadership. That, in turn, establishes your company’s status within the industry. And don’t forget to add these assets to your company website. Shout it from the (digital) rooftops!
But it doesn’t stop there. Job descriptions are another opportunity to demonstrate company culture. When it comes to writing job descriptions, you need to sell the work that candidates will be doing, but make sure you don’t fall prey to the cliché trap. SmartRecruiters warns that using phrases like “fast-paced environment” or “competitive compensation” can turn off top candidates. After all, 79 percent of Millennials and Gen Z want to work at an innovative company, and innovation involves doing things differently.
Sharing your company culture deck empowers candidates to understand critical aspects of the company. To create an effective one, highlight your company’s mission statement and values. If you need inspiration, you can copy what Nasdaq did: Nasdaq created a video featuring its CEO—whose career began as an intern at the company—describing what it’s like to work there. What better way to highlight company culture (which includes growth opportunities) than a real-life testimonial from someone who joined a company through early-career recruitment.
A strong culture deck should include the latest press about your company. Doing so saves candidates time—the second component of providing a positive candidate experience.
When it comes to the hiring process, time isn’t on a company’s side. Companies that don’t act quickly in all stages of the interview process risk losing qualified candidates. After all, top talent is only on the market for 10 days.
And desktops and tablets are so last century. Gen Z is always connected, and they’re adept at doing anything instantly using mobile. So don’t expect them to view a job posting and save it for when they get home to use their desktop (or tablet). If you want to get Gen Z’s top talent, you have to create an application that’s designed specifically for mobile. Without mobile optimization—from the length of the job descriptions to the application itself—candidates will move on.
Your company is on the clock once a candidate decides to apply for an open position. And the first part of it is the application process. According to Indeed, applications with 20 screener questions lose two-fifths of candidates. That’s a lot of potentially qualified—and diverse—candidates to miss out on.
But, speed doesn’t stop there. 94 percent of candidates want feedback after an interview, and you know that Gen Z wants everything fast. If something is too slow—remember they have an attention span of eight seconds—they get bored and move on.
According to Forbes, a good rule of thumb for companies is to contact candidates no more than three or four business days after an interview to provide feedback and next steps. Employers that recognize the power of an efficient hiring process use WayUp Source, Screen & Coach to guarantee candidates receive a response within 24 hours of submitting an application. It keeps candidates engaged and helps them move talent through the hiring funnel 2x faster.
Companies that focus on these two things can expect one result: a positive candidate experience.
