In several cases, candidates decide whether they will join a company based on the offer made to them by a company. However, most of the candidates think beyond just the offer when choosing a company to ply their trade. In today’s scenario, job applicants have more options to choose from than ever before. Based on their economic performance, every country provides employment opportunities to candidates. So, candidates are, in most cases, spoiled for choice. How effectively a company manages candidate experience during the hiring process sets it apart from others and makes the selection easier for applicants.
Organizations that want to keep the top talent engaged and interested throughout the hiring process need to put more effort and time into it than they usually do. They need to personalize the experience for applicants and ensure that their focus is always on building relationships. So, what exactly do organizations have to do to make candidates happily and willingly last the hiring process?
Communication is the key. Organizations need to ensure that they continue communicating with candidates regularly throughout the hiring process. If they leave the candidates alone without knowing what’s happening behind the doors, they won’t see them lasting until the end. Even if the hiring process is longer than usual, constantly interacting with candidates and communicating to them, the future steps will ensure that they don’t lose interest in the middle of the process.
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Companies with a hiring process that spans longer than two weeks are always going to fall on the wrong side of a candidate’s favour. And if the second contact after the initial communication takes more than a week, most candidates will be willing to end the association right there. So, it is vital that organizations not communicate the timeframe for each step in the hiring process but also stick to those timeframes. Even if it conveys the dreaded news, organizations should do it within the timeframes shared with the candidate right at the start. Candidates find organizations that value their time and are honest and transparent throughout the hiring process. Even if it is a rejection, candidates want organizations to communicate the message as early and clearly as possible.
Most of the questions asked during the hiring process are similar, so most candidates find answering those quite dull. To make the process enjoyable, companies need to ask questions beyond the usual fact-finding exercise. Questions should be asked with the objective of striking a fruitful conversation and building relationships. So, it could be about the interests of the candidate. Or about how they would react in a particular situation? Or ask them to narrate a story. This will help to hire managers to strike a more interesting conversation, which will help them see the qualities of a candidate beyond the resume. Also, as these are open-ended questions, this will allow hiring managers to ask questions or discuss topics related to the initial question.
And the hiring process shouldn’t just be about candidates being asked to answer questions. It is well within their rights to hope to be on the other side of the table. Allowing them to ask questions will help organizations understand the thought process of candidates and help build rapport. Also, candidates shouldn’t be hurried into responding to questions. They should be given enough time to think and respond.
Candidates should not be kept in the dark when it comes to the hiring process and their role. Most of the people who are actively involved in the job market are looking to work with both honest and transparent companies. So, organizations need to be outrightly upfront when telling candidates about the work culture, their role, and what they can expect in the long term. Knowing what it is like to work with a company, candidates will be empowered to make informed decisions for their respective careers.
Organizations should make it a point to set the record straight regarding salary and benefits. When candidates know about hidden salary or benefits clauses later, they realize that the company lied to them earlier. So, they will start looking for other opportunities and move away from their present company as soon as possible. And being honest will save a company money, time, and reputation.
How an organization treats applicants during the hiring process says a lot about dealing with their employees. When they are transparent with candidates, they respect the candidates and value each candidate’s time and effort. And that is the foundation of building strong relationships.
The pandemic brought out the human side of almost everyone who witnessed or experienced people’s hardships across the world. Businesses also got in on the act and did whatever they could to make things easier for their employees during this challenging period. Candidates want organizations to show the same human side during the hiring process. They want organizations to make the process more people-centric than it generally is. There are several ways that organizations can do this.
Organizations can share frequent updates with candidates regarding their performance in different phases. They can also make the process and the outcomes more accessible by providing tools that candidates can use to view the status of their applications. They can use creative messaging to give candidates a sense of what it’s like to work with them. Personalization throughout the hiring process can play a crucial role in humanizing the entire process.
Reference:
- 5 Underrated Ways to Develop Relationships with Applicants During the Hiring Process | Glassdoor | August 3, 2021
- 6 Strategies to Develop Better Relationships With Candidates | Tracker RMS | JANUARY 18, 2018
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