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Improve candidate experience with this simple advice

Posted by
Anil Dharni
on
July 27, 2023

Everyone knows that the need to improve candidate experience should be a priority. After all, candidates say they’ll share a negative recruitment experience with friends and family 66% of the time. But talking about it and making it a priority (and reality) are two different things. I know it’s top of mind for you, so let’s just get right to it and talk about some simple ways you can improve candidate experience for stronger recruitment ROI.

How you can improve candidate experience for stronger recruitment ROI

Small steps can add up to big results when you focus on improving candidate experience. Add these key areas to your priorities to start seeing some results:

Notify them when they are rejected

There are many ways to achieve this goal. Candidates want to know when they’ve been rejected, and only 2% of employers actually do it. That means there is a lot of opportunity here for employers like you to improve candidate experience. 

Keep them informed throughout the hiring process

Employers know that this is an important way to improve candidate experience. But either they struggle to implement manually (which, understandably, can feel nearly impossible with many companies working with thousands of candidates at a time), or their tech stack simply isn’t cutting it (our clients typically find this is the case when they try to “duct tape” together multiple point solutions to try and create a cohesive experience – it just doesn’t lead to an improvement in candidate experience at all, and can even make things worse).

Consider these other statistics from Talent Board’s Candidate Experience Research report which show a lack of communication between employers and potential candidates:

  • 33% of candidates received no preparation information or communication prior to an interview.
  • 18% of candidates did not receive information or next-steps after their interview.
  • Only 20% of candidates were notified by email that they weren’t being considered for a position.

Continuously monitor (and act on) NPS

NPS is a powerful tool in your recruiting arsenal, and one that can prove significant as you work to improve candidate experience. Among other things, measuring NPS can help you track:

  • Appeal and knowledge of the hiring manager
  • Success of the communication to the candidate
  • Ease of the application process
  • Respect of candidate’s time
  • How likely the candidate or rejected candidate is to recommend or continue to use the company’s product

Of course, listening and recording performance via NPS isn’t enough – you have to take action in order to actually improve your candidate experience. Technology (like Sense) empowers you to see and learn, but it’s up to you to take action on what you learn from NPS surveys. Those organizations that do have a distinct competitive recruitment advantage.

Treat candidates like individuals

This may sound like common sense, but sometimes it’s hard to keep it in mind, particularly when you’re dealing with a large volume of reqs or openings and tens of thousands of candidates. 

Communication blasts can be extremely impersonal and are therefore easy for candidates to tune out. You can easily improve candidate experience with a small change – personalize your outreach.

Sense makes it simple to deliver a personalized experiences at scale to tens of thousands of candidates. Your recruiters can jump into conversations when candidates have questions or whenever they’re needed. AI and automation have made integrated conversations the norm. They are seamless, authentic, they matter to candidates, and they ultimately improve candidate experience.

Check out this deeper-dive resource to improve candidate experience

Although this blog touched upon some simple things you can do to improve candidate experience, we have a host of resources that dig a bit deeper. Among my favorites is this ebook: Driving Candidate Engagement at Scale. In it, the Sense team examines six actionable pieces of advice that empower you to deploy a candidate engagement strategy that truly improves experience. 

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