In today’s highly competitive talent market, failing to pay attention to the candidate experience will cost you in more ways than one. For starters, there is your reputation that feeds your employer brand. There is the diminished pool of referrals thus leading to other potentially more expensive sourcing methods. There is also the inability to compete with multiple offers. If a few similar offers come in around the same time, may the best candidate experience win! We at Powerhouse Talent also like to consider what is the right thing to do as a human being. Karma baby…we live by doing good.
We look at the candidate experience from the perspective of the head and the heart. What do they need to know and feel to have an outstanding candidate journey?
- COMMUNICATION- Stay connected! Even if things have started to stall, communicate, communicate, communicate! Explain the process or what may be happening in the organization (a big conference, deliverable or exercise). A quick LinkedIn message, text or call can mean so much. Radio silence is not the answer.
- CONNECTION- Move over robots or drones… this is a human experience! Treat others the way you wish to be treated. Real connection builds interest. Are those involved in the talent attraction process building real relationships with talent or is your process like an assembly line? Candidates can feel the difference and will walk away.
- COMMUNITY- Be different and help them visualize life at your company! If your process is a multi-stage one, let one interview be more casual. Perhaps a walk around the neighborhood, grabbing a coffee or checking out the new employee lounge. Let the candidate experience life at your company, meet the team and see themselves working there. We all want to belong. Taking a break from a typical interview venue such as a boardroom helps breathe life into the process.
Keep the three Cs top of mind and you will differentiate yourself from others who have forgotten the importance of being human in such a vulnerable experience.
Looking to being a better candidate experience and employer brand? Check out our employer branding training program with lots of great insight into the candidate journey. LAND YOUR BRAND- Your employer branding training and blueprint.