Candidate Experience: The Business Case

Candidate experience is a journey

We are in a highly competitive mode in today's fiercely competitive talent market. How can we attract candidates, which is the beginning of the process? Can we attract strategic roles that bridge the current and future states?

The candidate experience stands at the forefront of an organization's ability to attract, engage, and secure the best talent. It's not merely about filling positions but nurturing a journey that begins when a potential candidate encounters your brand. That talent is needed for the future success of the organization.

Imagine the candidate experience as a journey that starts with a simple 'hello' and weaves through every stage of being part of your team. It’s about creating those ‘wow’ moments right from the start, mixing the intelligent use of data with a strong employer brand, crafting a workplace everyone talks about, and making the application process a breeze. 

As we examine these areas, it becomes clear that they are not just separate pieces of a puzzle but parts of a big picture that shape how a candidate feels, decides, and grows with us. Let’s examine these aspects and see how a big-picture approach can do wonders for your brand and turn your company culture into a place where top talent can’t wait to be a part.

The Numbers Tell the Story

• According to a CareerBuilder survey, 75% of applicants never hear back from employers. Think of the time your “new customer” may have spent applying for the job.  Think of the impression that is left with them.
• According to that same survey, 60% of job seekers quit while filling out online job applications because of their length or complexity. Think of these stats in the way they relate to e-commerce. How many carts are left sitting there versus checking out and placing the order? Do we have that stat? Do we have a process to analyze that number? If we do, how can we increase the completion rate?
• 63% of job seekers will likely reject a job offer because of a bad candidate experience Software Advice).
• 72% of job seekers who had a bad experience told others about it, either online or in person CareerArc). Yes, they will talk.
• 64% of job seekers say that a poor candidate experience would make them less likely to purchase goods and services from that employer (Source: CareerArc).

If we went to a doctor for our yearly physical and these types of numbers came back relating to your health, you and your family would definitely be concerned.

As you can see, the system is broken, and your “customers” are not enjoying your experience. So, the question is, what do we do about it? If we had a “customer service” or any other customer-centric department in that shape, we would surely analyze the process.  

How Are You Analyzing Your Process?

Times have changed. Your organization must compete for talent now more than ever. You and all your competitors are looking for the same talent. How does your organization stand out? That should be a question every organization asks, especially in the talent acquisition field. The new customer will analyze you and the landscape.

Why Does All This Matter? The Attraction Phase

Think of it this way. Your recruiting process is a product of your company. Are your prospective customers buying it? Was the product so bad that it would not apply again?  Would they refer others to a cool job they saw on the site? Would they “share” those experiences across the social space?

The fact that we have to upload a resume, manually type it on the website, and then fill out a paper application during the interview process is a jarring wake-up call. We need to reform this process to make it customer friend.

First impressions matter now more than ever. The initial contact begins to anchor the employee experience. This is the first look. This is the “kicking the tires phase.”  Your new customer will test your brand through various means. They will google your company, look at the leaders, reach the About section, read your purpose statement, and look at your career page if they can find it.  Is the brand being sold? What information are you sharing? Can you describe what the interview process looks like? Do you have an FAQ Section?    In other words, what are you selling besides a job?

Have you analyzed your competitors? Are you competing for the same talent? When did you last apply for a job at “YOUR COMPANY”? WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU APPLIED TO YOUR 3 COMPETITORS FOR A JOB? If you did, what was the response? How would you rank their process and response compared to your company’s? Who was the winner?

Would your internal employees refer your jobs to their friends and family members? Better still, have you ever asked them?

Why Does it Matter: The Hire Phase

Once we have passed the attraction phase, this hiring phase will follow. What and when was the last time we tested the hiring phase? 

Have your recruiters been developed to interview or do they learn by doing? You have to develop your people for this skill.
 

• Formal and informal interview: a formal interview follows a fixed set of questions and procedures, while an informal interview is more conversational and spontaneous.
• Structured and unstructured interviews: a structured interview has a predetermined format and sequence of questions, while an unstructured interview allows more flexibility and exploration of topics.
• Stress interview: an interview that puts pressure on the candidate to test their reactions and coping skills.
• Group interview: an interview that involves multiple candidates or interviewers at the same time.
• Depth interview: an interview that focuses on a specific aspect of the candidate's personality, skills, or experience.

What is our process: phone screen, personal contact vs. technology? I have heard horror stories of late-minute cancellations. Interviewers go through the motions, just checking the box. How many interviewers would I go through before the decision is made? Are we sharing the brand value of working at our organization through storytelling? What is our story? Are we in sell mode during this phase?

Remember, the interview is a 2-way street. We are being interviewed the same way you are interviewing them. 

Talent has evolved over the years, and the old dynamic has shifted. There is a balance in this new dynamic…Talent is on one side of the scale, and your organization is on the other.  

Do we have alignment? The new generation of workers looks at your organization differently than yesteryear. This new “customer,” especially in those “strategic roles,” can take their skills to any company. Their question is, why should I join you?  

“I am pursuing other opportunities. Tell me why I should choose your organization.” 

Arrogance? No. You want their talent, and you will have to work for it. The pendulum has swung, and it is not going back.

Why Does All This Matter? The Onboarding Experience

Let’s look at the next phase if we make it through the above “thicket.”

Onboarding is like being invited to your new “friends” ' first get-together at the family house. Nervousness abounds. Now you are in, and the butterflies are swarming. All the antennas are in full mode, picking up signals from when they enter or log in.  

One of the first questions asked at the end of the day when you return home is “How was your first day?” How did it go? Was it what you expected?

Let's connect this back to the brand. Did we sell our new talent to ensure they made the right choice? Did we tell them how it feels to work here? Did we thank them for choosing us? Did we make that first day fun, engaging, and exciting? Did they leave that day assured that they did make the right choice?

This is the day we must get it right.  

In a competitive landscape, it is essential to make a great first impression. This strategic pilar should anchor how the business welcomes new hires. From the time an offer is extended until the day the new hire becomes fully productive, the employee onboarding experience can lay the foundation for long-term success.

The NEW Power of the Candidate Experience

Good experiences have long-term positive long-term effects on organizations regardless of whether the candidate was hired. More importantly, how a company treats job candidates (the ones hired and the ones rejected) broadcasts a clear message about its values. As the boundaries between employer and company brand continue to blur, the importance of the candidate experience to a company’s overall success will magnify.

Going Forward

HR departments will have to listen more and communicate better. Our people strategy should be rooted in that context. We must test each phase of this process and listen.  We must take a step back and realize that this landscape of innovation is driving every industry. The key to winning, as per innovation, comes to TALENT. So, in that context, we must pull out all the stops. We must engage in a way that we may not have done before. We must analyze and then analyze some more.

The role of recruiting is the most crucial role inside the organization. This department and your role tie in with ensuring the organization has the strategic talent it needs for the future of the business. 

It can't get any more important than that. We are the scouts and gatekeepers who make our organizations a magnet for talent.

Ron Thomas is the Managing Director of Strategy Focused Group, an international consulting firm based in Dubai and Singapore. Ron has been most recently named in leadersHum Power List of the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership list to watch for in 2022. His podcast, “The CEO Series”, is named one among the ‘Top 9 HR Podcasts You Need To Follow In 2022’. He is a visiting executive faculty member at the Global Human Resources Leadership Institute at Howard University School of Business in Washington, DC.