You wouldn’t leave your clients waiting for a call-back, go MIA when they have questions, or provide below-par work, would you? So it’s time to start treating your employees the same — before recruitment even begins.
You have one opportunity to make a good first impression, and in a candidate’s market, your talent acquisition experience matters more than ever.
According to research by McKinsey, 40 percent of employees are considering leaving their current job within the next six months, and nearly two-thirds of them would leave without another job to go to.
So with more people looking for work, there’s no doubt that job seekers want — and deserve — better candidate experiences. Talent are looking for a personalized experience with a company that has a clear EVP, is proactive and communicative, and can align their candidate experience with their ongoing employee experience.
Start thinking of your candidates as consumers
When consumers have a poor experience, they abandon their cart and walk away. They’re also more likely to tell their friends about a negative experience than a positive one. The same goes for the candidate experience.
Shortlister research cited in a recent Deloitte reportfound that 80 percent of candidates who experienced an unsatisfactory recruitment process revealed they openly tell people about their experience, with a third doing so proactively. “It is important that organizations realize the reality that all candidates are potential future customers,” the report says.
As well as sharing their experience with others, candidates are withdrawing from applications if they aren’t satisfied with the process or their view of the organization. In a Harvard Business Review survey of 2,800 job candidates, 65 percent reported halting the application process because they found some aspects of the job or the company unattractive.
“Removing friction and creating a sense of consistency during the candidate process speaks loudly to the experience talent should expect if they join your workplace.
Being selected by candidates can lead to higher retention
No longer is the candidate experience simply a chance for you to hold all the cards and assess potential employees. The balance of power has shifted and job seekers will judge the candidate experience as a reflection of what it’s like to work with your organization.
Focus on being selected by candidates, rather than ‘selecting candidates.’ You want to be a company people want to work with.
Once they’re in the door, it’s all about having a higher rate of retaining staff because you’ve worked hard to align your values, skills, and career goals with theirs.
Take a consumer-grade lens to your recruitment approach
Now that you’re thinking of your candidates as consumers, it’s time to up the ante and think VIP. Ask yourself if you’re communicating in a way that’s convenient for them and offering flexible discussion times. Do you use technology that’s expected for the role during interviews? Do you offer feedback during steps of the process? Are your interviews and questions based on skills and not background?
Removing friction and creating a sense of consistency during the candidate process speaks loudly to the experience talent should expect if they join your workplace.
THE IMPACT
According to Global Talent Trends 2022 by Mercer, people no longer want to work for a company; they want to work with a company. “The future of work depends on flatter and more networked talent models, fueled by a more flexible, fungible and globally dispersed workforce.”
More networked talent models can include looking at your entire talent ecosystem — from current employees, grads, and interns, to public profiles and past applicants.
As well as creating an organization people want to work with, consider how data can play a role in finding the right people to work with you. Reejig searches your entire talent ecosystem, increasing your talent matches while reducing your sourcing time.
Uncovering the skills of your talent ecosystem and understanding how they can play into long-term career pathways with you can help personalize the candidate experience to their skills and potential. It also brings the opportunity for you to proactively reach out about roles before they even start looking.
Personalized career coaching through Career Co-Pilot can help provide recommended learning and career pathways to engage talent at every step along the way.
How to start creating a consumer-grade candidate experience today:
Take a skills-first approach, focusing on the skills and potential of candidates over educational background and job titles.
Be transparent about the process involved and how long it will take and update the candidate on what to expect next at every step.
Understand first the potential within your organization that a candidate can realize — where they can start, opportunities for linear and non-linear growth and movement, how you can support them, and what programs for upskilling, reskilling, and learning you have in place.
Have a focus on action. Be prepared to move quickly.
Start treating recruiting employees like new clients you’re trying to win over — regardless of whether they get the job or not. Making the end-to-end experience for candidates effortless and aligned with their expectations of working for you means you’re both more likely to succeed.
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