Much like the customer experience, the candidate experience matters.
Candidates are consumers.
Like the buyer journey, the candidate journey begins with an emotional need or reason to work and ends with the acceptance of a job offer. Just as customers make judgments about a company when purchasing a product or service, candidates make judgments about a potential future employer which could affect your brand.
On the other side of this discussion, recruiters are marketers.
Recruiters face the challenging task of persuading a candidate that choosing their company and the open position will fill their emotional need. A bad candidate experience can cause you to miss out on a lot of qualified candidates. A great experience, however, can build your employer brand, attract and widen the applicant pool, and improve employee retention.
So, how can you ensure your recruiting process is just as effective and exciting as your customer experience process? Taking a page out of three top-notch companies’ play books might help:
1…AMAZON
Amazon made online shopping effortless and seamless for millions of loyal customers. From account logins to easily navigable personalized set of recommendations, Amazon changed how customers thought about shopping. A low-effort customer or candidate experience will turn into loyalty for years to come while 81% of customers with high-effort experiences will tell others.
You can model your candidate experience after Amazon by ensuring open positions are easy to find and understand and by brainstorming ways to make the recruiting and interviewing process speedy and seamless. Fine-tuning operations and implement new technologies can help save both you and your candidates significant time.
2…DELTA
Most people try to avoid getting the middle seat when flying. It can be frustrating and cramped with no little space to move or even sleep. To get on the same page with customers, Delta implemented a “Middle Seat Mondays” campaign in which a frequent flyer was sent a funny email and 500 miles. Instead of annoyed passengers, passengers now felt grateful and comfortable flying in the middle seat.
Ultimately, candidates’ impression with your company is based on their final interaction with you. Thus, leaving candidates with little to no response can likely negatively affect your company
brand. When interviewing a candidate, be prompt, personalized, and positive in your communication and offer incentives to end on a positive note.
3…APPLE
You know Apple as the company with the clean, clear, and crisp everything. From products to stores, Apple’s brand lies in simplicity, elegance, and innovation. When you walk into an Apple store, you can easily distinguish it from any other: sleek, spotless white, and smart-looking. Steve Jobs spent years perfecting Apple devices and gadgets so when it came time for the physical stores, they wanted it to evoke the same excitement and sense of style that customers had become accustomed to over the years.
The same goes for the candidate experience. Just as Apple worked to ensure a consistent experience for customers across all touchpoints, the candidate experience must also align well with your brand’s mission and promise. To do this, take steps to close the gap between your candidate’s experience and your brand promise. Make use of the Net Promoter Score to gather raw numerical data and adjust your process.
Making improvements to the candidate experience is an ongoing effort. Little by little, you get to refine the recruiting and hiring process. But it is worth the work as the rewards of ensuring a positive candidate experience are invaluable.
If you want to know how to ensure a great candidate experience and see more examples of companies that have, click the link below for more information.
