“A negative candidate experience can significantly impact a company’s brand and financial outcomes. For example, 72% of candidates who had a bad experience with an employer would tell others about it, and over half of candidates would not apply to a company with negative employer reviews,” said Alisa Lagovska, Head of Recruitment, at Jooble.

In an exclusive interview with HR.com, Alisa touches upon the evolving role of recruiters, the impact of new technologies on hiring and candid, new trends, and more.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: What do candidates seek from employers today?

Alisa: Candidates must engage in genuine and transparent dialogue. They must also have a clear understanding of the different stages of the recruitment process, the individuals they will be interacting with, the duration of each stage, the overall timeline, and when they can expect to receive feedback. Providing feedback on a job opening should be straightforward, transparent, and prompt.

More than half of job seekers are discouraged from applying to companies with negative reviews on platforms like Glassdoor. Additionally, 60% of candidates have abandoned job applications due to their complexity or length.

Effective communication is essential for creating a positive candidate experience. This involves keeping candidates informed at every stage of the process, from acknowledging receipt of their application to providing clear timeframes for feedback. Regular updates, including simply informing candidates that there are no updates, can significantly reduce candidate anxiety and demonstrate respect for their involvement in the process.

Respecting the candidate's time is incredibly important, especially in a competitive job market where qualified candidates often explore multiple opportunities at once. StandOut CV's 2023 statistics highlight the importance of efficiency: the average interview in the UK takes 27.5 days. Reducing this time whenever possible, without compromising the quality of the selection process, can significantly improve the candidate experience.

Q: Why is it important today to provide a positive experience to candidates?

Alisa: The overall experience of a candidate, from the initial contact with the job opening through the selection and interview process to receiving feedback and the final job offer, plays a significant role in determining whether they will respond and ultimately accept the job offer.

In today's rapidly changing employment landscape, the competition to attract top talent is more intense than ever. Various sectors, such as technology, finance, healthcare, and retail, are in high demand for skilled professionals who can foster innovation, lead teams, and drive business growth.

According to a 2023 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 85% of HR professionals stated that improving the candidate experience is a top priority for their organization, acknowledging that a lengthy hiring process is a significant barrier to securing top talent.

Employers should sell themselves by showcasing the culture, values, and opportunities that they offer for personal and professional development.

A negative candidate experience can significantly impact a company’s brand and financial outcomes. For example, 72% of candidates who had a bad experience with an employer would tell others about it, and over half of candidates would not apply to a company with negative employer reviews.

Money is crucial for any company. A strong employer brand, supported by a positive candidate experience, can reduce hiring costs over time. Organizations that treat candidates well and receive positive feedback tend to attract more job applications, thereby decreasing the need for extensive recruitment marketing and additional recruiting investment from the company.

Candidates with a positive hiring experience are more inclined to accept a job offer. This is because the hiring process is often viewed as a reflection of the company's overall culture and approach to employee management.

Q: What are the key areas of a positive candidate experience?

Alisa: Here, we highlight three main directions: respect, transparency, and speed.

Candidates aren't just data in your hiring algorithm. Personalize the skin-to-skin interaction to stimulate the perception of communication. Feel free to provide feedback and show genuine concern and interest.

Sometimes, I advise you to ask yourself, "How would I feel in this recruiting process?" Put yourself in the candidate's shoes. It is important to show respect so that the communication between the recruiter and the candidate does not feel like one more thing on an endless conveyor belt.

Transparency is essential at every step a candidate goes through in recruiting. From the first thank-you message you send to candidates to when you send a rejection or job offer email, ensure your communication is clear, understandable, and transparent. It is essential to clearly explain the next steps in the hiring process to the candidate. Tell what happens at each stage of the recruiting process, and provide clear time frames to show candidates how long they can wait for the following feedback.

Speed is one of the most significant advantages for employers and candidates looking to land a great candidate before anyone else. If you procrastinate, your ideal candidate will likely submit multiple offers, and your window may close quickly. The further into the hiring process, the more time your candidate has to receive and post counter-offers from their current employer or other companies' sites. Quick communication and prompt solutions keep candidates excited about the opportunity and more likely to accept the offer.

Q: To what extent does a positive candidate experience improve recruitment success?

Alisa: In highly competitive markets, especially in industries like technology, a positive candidate experience can be a differentiator. Companies that offer a better experience can attract top talent more effectively than their competitors, even if they offer average compensation. This competitive advantage is vital in industries facing skill shortages.

Having a positive candidate experience helps to improve a company's employer brand, which is important for attracting well-qualified candidates. According to LinkedIn research, 75% of job seekers evaluate an employer's brand before applying for a job. Businesses with a strong employer brand are able to retain 50% more qualified candidates and reduce hiring costs by up to 50%.

In today's online-centric world, job candidates often share their experiences, whether positive or negative, on social media and other platforms. A positive experience can serve as a strong advocacy tool, with satisfied candidates becoming valuable brand ambassadors who share their positive experiences online and within their professional networks. This feedback loop enables you to enhance the recruiting process, making it quicker and of higher quality.

Even if candidates are not hired, providing them with a positive experience could lead to them becoming advocates for the company or maintaining interest in future opportunities. According to Talent Board research, 62% of candidates with a positive experience reapply in the future, while 78% share their experiences with other companies. This helps create a stronger talent pool for future hiring needs and reduces the reliance on expensive external recruiting efforts.

Q: How and what technology are you using to improve candidate experience?

Alisa: Only half of employers provided opportunities for candidates to register their interest or sign up for job alerts, and 44% did not offer a way for candidates to give feedback on their experience. This gap indicates a lack of alignment between what candidates expect and what employers provide.

At Jooble, we have implemented an automated messaging system to gather feedback on candidate rejections at all stages of the recruitment process. This helps us identify areas that need improvement and those performing well. We also use this feedback to inform hiring managers and technical interviewers so they can refine their interviewing techniques as necessary.

Using automated questionnaires saves our time (as it requires no time from the recruiter), and customized dashboards allow us to visualize survey results quickly. This positively impacts candidates, as they can easily share feedback and understand the importance of their opinions. Currently, we have a high candidate experience score of 3.42 out of 4, which is a great achievement.

Q: What improvements in terms of technological advancements are required to meet the candidate experience demands in the future?

Alisa: Let's start by discussing AI and machine learning. Both AI and machine learning need to evolve to provide more detailed interactions with candidates, taking into account the modern context.

For instance, natural language processing (NLP) advancements enable chatbots and virtual assistants to understand candidate queries better, provide accurate responses, and engage in more meaningful conversations. Additionally, AI can analyze large data sets to predict candidate behavior and preferences, allowing personalized recruitment approaches and better engagement with the candidate market.

Another important improvement I highlight is improved integration between various recruiting technologies, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), customer relationship management (CRM) tools, AI-powered recruiting platforms, and HR software. This integration streamlines the hiring process, reduces attrition, and ensures a seamless experience for both recruiters and candidates.

Technological advancements are leading to the creation of interactive and gamified assessment tools that utilize AI and machine learning to evaluate skills, cognitive abilities, and cultural fit. These tools can greatly enhance the candidate experience by offering immediate feedback, being accessible from various devices, and providing a fair and unbiased assessment of candidate potential.

Q: What strategy do you adopt to improve candidate experience? What is your biggest challenge in this regard?

Alisa: We are committed to providing a high-quality candidate experience when candidates communicate with Jooble. We understand that the job market is competitive and that a junior candidate today could become a valuable asset as a senior professional in the future. We have previously hired candidates for senior positions with whom we had initial contact five years ago when they were starting their careers. These candidates had positive experiences during the recruitment process and are happy to engage with us again after five years.

Extend Constructive Feedback is one of the most difficult stages in the candidate experience strategy's development, but it is also one of the most important.

Disseminate Insightful Feedback, irrespective of hiring outcomes. Highlighting areas to refine showcases reverence for candidates’ endeavors and propels their professional growth. This approach is especially pivotal for developing talents. Create a repository with developmental suggestions for every role, incorporating valuable resources. These knowledge nuggets can leave an indelible positive mark, even when a candidate isn’t the final choice, bolstering the corporate image.

We collaborated closely with experts within our company to create a comprehensive library of knowledge and recommendations for candidate feedback and received exceedingly positive feedback from candidates.

Q: What are the new trends you see coming into the candidate experience space?

Alisa: Firstly, this is a growing trend in the use of AI and Automation. Companies are using AI to automate initial screening, personalize communication, and provide real-time updates to candidates.

Automating communication with candidates, such as sending immediate responses after application submission, can significantly improve the candidate experience by ensuring they feel valued and informed throughout the process. AI-powered tools and standardized email templates can achieve this.

The second is the importance of providing personalized feedback and giving feedback after interviews has emerged as a critical factor in improving candidate experience. A significant number of candidates, 79%, indicated that they would reapply to a company if they received feedback after an unsuccessful interview, suggesting that feedback helps maintain positive relationships with potential hires.

Thirdly, I emphasize the importance of shortening and simplifying the job application process. Recently, many companies have been moving towards shorter and more streamlined application processes. This shift is based on data that indicates lengthy applications result in high rejection rates. By simplifying forms, reducing the number of steps, and providing one-click applications through the LinkedIn chatbot or other platforms, companies hope to make it easier and quicker for candidates to apply. Research indicates that 60% of job seekers only complete applications that take up to 15 minutes.

Q: How do you plan to use AI to offer a better experience to your candidates?

Alisa: Artificial intelligence (AI) provides a strategic advantage in the recruitment process. It allows companies to speed up processes, customize interactions, and ensure fairness and efficiency when working with candidates. AI can greatly improve the applicant experience in several ways, including chatbots. A chatbot can assist a candidate in applying for a job and provide support throughout the communication. Through a chatbot, a company can offer detailed information about job requirements, company culture, and even instructions for the interview process. This immediate and personalized communication can reduce anxiety and keep candidates engaged and informed.

Utilizing AI can assist with setting up email interactions, managing calendars, and automating the process of scheduling interviews. It can also aid in organizing the process of providing timely and detailed feedback to candidates. Integrating AI with your ATS system can help you effectively communicate with candidates. Providing timely feedback helps candidates feel valued and respected, which can positively impact their perception of the company. We intend to continue exploring these and new AI tools to improve the candidate experience.


 
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