You routinely monitor customer satisfaction and keep an eye on employee experience, but what about the candidates in your hiring queue?
Potential employees evaluate an organization’s culture based on their application process. Building a great candidate experience can make the difference between being able to onboard the top candidates versus struggling to find potential applicants that meet your needs.
Why, you ask? Because candidates aren’t just looking for competitive salaries and benefits, they are looking for a workplace that cares. And in an era where skilled applicants can get their pick of the job, there is no dearth of great places to work at. That’s why you need to show applicants from the very beginning that your organization truly values its people.
Show candidates you care
Treat candidates with respect. You can start off by ensuring a good response time, quick follow-ups, and even asking for feedback at the end of the process. After all, no one likes being ignored, and even less, ghosted.
Now that you have the basics in place, here are a few more things you can do to improve the candidate experience:
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Double-check the job description
is the job description clear, or are there parts that can be misconstrued? Only 36% of candidates state they were provided with clear job descriptions, strive to be the employers doing it right.
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Be inclusive:
using gender-neutral language can widen your pool of applicants by as much as 42%. Go through your job descriptions to determine whether it is subtly masculine or feminine coded to make it more appealing for a wider audience. Words like “ambitious”, “competitive”, and “driven” are more often associated with men, whereas words like “compassionate”, “warm”, and “welcoming” are more associated with women. By ensuring language that is more inclusive, you will be more likely to get a wider selection of eligible candidates applying for the role.
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Be reachable:
the application process can be stressful, especially for your applicants. Make it a little easier by assigning a point of contact so they know exactly who to reach out to.
These are just a few ideas. If you’re looking for more ways to ease the application process, explore our earlier article that helps you build a better candidate experience in 8 steps.
Application metrics that matter
You have optimized your candidate experience, yet for some reason the job opening just isn’t getting filled. From candidates dropping off at the last moment, to not finding the right fit, the reasons can be endless.
To find the right fix, you need to take a closer look at your application.
Here are some metrics you need to consider:
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Time to fill application:
How long does it take your candidates to fill out the application? Set a baseline and measure against it to get a better idea. Longer applications might give you detailed insights about potential candidates, but they can also be exhausting, often leading applicants to drop off, or even answer inaccurately to complete the application.
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Application completion rate:
How many candidates applying are actually completing the application? If you’re noticing that the application is largely remaining uncompleted, then maybe the problem isn’t the rest of the candidate experience, but the application itself!
Test out the application with a small group of people and ask for feedback. Are the questions too confusing? Or are there too many questions?By making it easier for candidates you apply, you’ll likely be able to reach a wider audience and increase your chances of finding the perfect candidate for the role!
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Candidate drop-off point:
Don’t just look at how many candidates are choosing to abandon their application, look at exactly when they choose to do so. By identifying the drop-off point within the application, you might realize why your candidates are doing so. Perhaps the questions are too much, too confusing, or maybe there is an error that you missed.
The application is the first step of the candidate’s experience and can set the tone for the entire journey. So, take another look at your application process and ask yourself: are these questions really necessary?
The easier the application, the more applicants you will be able to connect with, and who knows, one of them might be the right fit for your organization!
Follow up metrics to monitor
A quick follow-up online survey created by an online survey tool can go a long way in shedding some light on why you aren’t seeing a high acceptance rate. But instead of just a quick survey, include key metric questions to make the most of your insights. You can even incentivize candidates with a coupon or gift card to increase your response rate.
Here are some metrics you can monitor over time and see the difference:
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Candidate Net Promoter Score
On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are your candidates to recommend your organization within their network? When candidates have had a great experience, they will be more likely to ask others to apply, even if they didn’t make the cut. On the other hand, a bad experience means candidates will leave a negative review for the world to see. A CareerArc study shows that 72% of candidates who had a bad experience shared this online or with someone directly. This can lead to a negative reputation as an employer brand, often making you the last choice for potential applicants, thereby reducing the acceptance rate.
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Candidate Engagement Drivers
What keeps candidates driven throughout their application process? Is it rapid replies, quick interviews, or even a shorter process? Ask candidates to better understand what really matters to them, and what doesn’t.
With open text responses, you might be surprised to discover that the key engagement drivers are something else entirely!
Talented professionals can be hard to recruit as they field a slew of competitive offers. Candidates aren’t just looking for jobs that offer them a great salary and benefits (though that never hurts), but they are also looking for organizations that value them.
That’s why it’s important to create an experience that is both seamless and engaging, it gives candidates an idea of what working with you will be like.
Moreover, by connecting with candidates, especially those that didn’t make it through in this round, you can get a much-needed candid perspective on whether the process is truly as streamlined as you want it to be.
Sogolytics helps you connect with the right audience, keep them engaged, and easily decode feedback with the help of dynamic reports. Read between the lines and make the changes you need early on and see the difference a great candidate experience can make in your recruitment process!
FAQs
Why is candidate experience important in hiring?
A. A positive candidate experience enhances employer branding, boosts offer acceptance rates, and attracts top talent.
How can I improve the candidate experience?
A. Simplify the application process, communicate transparently, provide timely feedback, and personalize interactions.
What metrics help measure candidate experience?
A. Key metrics include Candidate Net Promoter Score (NPS), application completion rate, time-to-hire, and feedback scores.
How does application length impact candidate drop-off rates?
A. Lengthy or complex applications increase drop-offs—keeping forms concise and mobile-friendly improves completion rates.
What is Candidate Net Promoter Score (NPS)?
A. Candidate NPS measures how likely applicants are to recommend your hiring process, indicating overall satisfaction and employer appeal.
