Are you treating your job candidates as if they are your most valuable customers? If the answer is no, you are not alone. In Brandon Hall Group’s latest talent acquisition research, nearly 50% of organizations plan to increase their investment in the candidate experience in the next 12 months. Despite the recent hype around the “candidate experience,” few companies truly understand what it takes to create a positive one. In order to improve quality of hire and strengthen employer branding, organizations must rethink their approach to candidates, treating them with the same level of attention they place on customers.
So What Goes Wrong?
It may seem obvious – especially in industries like retail, professional services and hospitality – that the candidate experience should be a priority. Companies understand that customers are candidates and vice versa. So what exactly goes wrong? According to Brandon Hall Group research, 55% of companies have no budget, 43% cite a lack of resources and 28% say a lack of tools.
But the candidate experience does not need to be a costly endeavor. It should be part of the foundation of any talent acquisition strategy and incorporated into existing processes and technology. For those organizations concerned with budget or resources, below are a few strategies and “quick-fixes’ you might want to consider.
What Can You Do?
Communicate with Candidates: In a competitive market, organizations must change their mindset around the way they attract and engage top talent. Above all else, candidate communication must move beyond isolated touch-points and create a consistent and personalized end-to-end journey. Companies take this approach with customer interactions; they need to do the same with their candidates. Brandon Hall Group found that the top strategy for improving the candidate experience is communication for 42% of organizations.
Strengthen Employer Branding: It is hard to talk about candidate experience without talking about employer branding. Fifty percent (50%) of organizations cite employer branding as the top strategy for improving candidate experience. This doesn’t necessarily require a huge overhaul or investment. In many cases, organizations must think about how they position their organization and leverage technology to support these efforts.
Invest in Technology: Technology plays a critical role in determining the candidate experience. In the past, organizations had limited technology choices for managing recruitment processes and most of these tools focused on improving efficiencies and lifting the administrative burden for recruiters and hiring managers. Today, a new set of tools focused on improving the candidate’s journey has emerged. Organizations have options when selecting technology that can focus on the candidate experience.
For additional insights on the topic, check out my fellow analysts’ thoughts on the impact of candidate experience and branding and some ideas for revolutionizing the candidate experience.
Madeline Laurano, VP and Principal Analyst,
Talent Acquisition, Brandon Hall Group
@madtarquin
