How can organizations create a positive candidate experience, from start to finish, in order to attract the best and most talented ones? Nearly 78% of these job seekers report candidate experience as a direct indicator of how much a company values its employees. The candidate experience is made up of many touchpoints, starting with the application process, and continuing through the hiring decision and beyond. In this piece, we’ll walk through each touchpoint, as well as give a few actionable tips about how to improve them.

Touchpoint #1 - The application process

The application process should be fast and friction-free. Unfortunately, nearly 60% of job seekers quit online job applications mid-way due to their length and complexity. How do you ensure a fast and friction-free application process?

Make it mobile-friendly. 86% of active candidates use their smartphones to begin a job search. Today’s job market is mobile-first and multi-channel, so your application must be optimized for both desktop and mobile, including social media, text messaging, and chatbot capabilities.
Communicate its length. Your application should provide candidates with a time estimate from start to finish; and on average, it should take five minutes or less. Additionally, offer candidates a “save for later” option to accommodate candidates’ busy, complex schedules.

Touchpoint #2 - Application sorting

The average corporation receives 250 resumes per job posting. Unfortunately, far too many of these fall into a “resume black hole,” and never receive a response. In fact, 75% of applicants say they never hear anything back after applying for a job. No wonder 73% of people say the job search process is one of the most stressful parts of life. Companies with competitive candidate experiences respond to all applicants, even if it’s a quick and automated “Thank you, but no.” Candidates do not expect to win every job for which they apply; but receiving a response dignifies the time they spent applying, which ensures many of them will consider applying for future open positions with your company.

“54% of respondents state the candidate experience directly influences their decision to buy or pass up a company’s products or services.”

Touchpoint #3 - Interview scheduling

Candidates who do make it through the first round of application sorting are often invited to schedule an interview next. But, as exciting as it can be to progress through the hiring process, the scheduling itself can feel tedious and chaotic if it turns into weeks of back-and-forth emails with hiring managers. Companies who utilize recruiting chatbots to aid the scheduling touchpoint are 3X more likely to improve the overall candidate experience. Conversational AI like our hiring assistant has the ability to provide personalized, 24x7 candidate engagement through chat, mobile text, and automated workflows, scheduling candidates in under 3 minutes. How does it work? HireVue Hiring Assistant reaches out to candidates shortly after they submit an application, and acts as a guide through the entirety of the hiring process. In addition to improving candidate experience, recruiting chatbots simultaneously reduce the amount of manual interview scheduling work for recruiters.

Touchpoint #4 - The interview

More than anything else, the interview itself should be perceived by modern job candidates as fair. Historically, many interviews were no more than conversations about what the interviewer and interviewee had in common, which is a recipe for severe implicit bias. Fair interviews give all candidates an equal opportunity to demonstrate their unique abilities and potential. With HireVue OnDemand interviews, candidates feel secure knowing each and every interviewee is being asked the same questions, in the same way. What’s more, the fact that on-demand interviews can be taken anytime, anywhere attracts a wider pool of talented candidates. With no apps to download before the interview, candidates enjoy a flexible, friction-free process that fits seamlessly within their dynamic, complex lives. More than just a verbal recitation of the resume, on-demand interviews make interviewing easy, flexible, and more fair.

Touchpoint #5 - Interview follow-up

The final touchpoint of the candidate experience is interview follow-up. Just like 73% of candidates never receive a response to their application, 60% never hear back after an interview. That’s why candidates report that waiting to hear back after an interview is the most frustrating part of the hiring process. To improve interview follow-up, getting to “no” quickly is key. Once a decision has been made not to move certain candidates forward, responding quickly minimizes the frustration born out of waiting to hear back. Candidates are then free to move on and focus on new opportunities. Additionally, offering simple, constructive feedback about why a candidate was or was not chosen for a role demonstrates that you value candidates, and likewise, your employees. In fact, 94% of job seekers say receiving constructive feedback after an interview makes them four times more likely to consider a company for a future opportunity.

“The candidate experience improved by 148% when candidates are asked for interview feedback.”

Leaving a candidate with a bad taste in their mouth regarding your organization is never a good idea. Strengthening your candidate experience protects your employer brand, keeps your candidate pipeline filled, and promotes high levels of employee engagement from a new hire’s first day on the job. In the same way a positive customer experience propels business forward through customer retention and revenue growth, a positive candidate experience ensures your organization will win competitive talent in today’s world of work. For an at-a-glance view of the value of candidate experience, check out this infographic: Candidate Experience as Competitive Advantage.

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