Have you heard about the chain reaction? If you’re thinking…. did she really ask me if I have heard what a chain reaction was? Then yes, I did!
I know it is a blog about recruiters and candidates, but really, do you know WHAT IS A CHAIN REACTION?
Well, if you don’t, here’s what it means-
“A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place.” - Wikipedia
To help you understand how is it related to the candidate experience. Here’s a story-
“I once had an interview scheduled at 10.A.M in the morning. I reached there and to my surprise, there wasn’t anyone present to greet me. The recruiter herself was running late, and I was told “she’ll reach the office within 20mins”. However, I was there till 12.30 P.M but the recruiter didn’t show up. Then, two senior employees with very little knowledge about my work domain decided to take my interview. Finally, I left the building at 1.30 P.M without meeting the recruiter. Even though I really needed a job at that point in time, I had made up my mind not to settle for it. They called me again, and without an apology, I was asked to submit an assignment. This is was the last nail in the coffin and I decided not to associate with them.”
Now, do you think I would recommend them to others?
You are right, no! I won’t and this is the chain reaction i.e., the company’s overall branding will be hampered wherever I go, and from there so on and so forth.
This is exactly what happens when you, as a recruiter, don’t take efforts to enhance the overall candidate experience.
What Is Candidate Experience?
Candidate experience is all about respecting the candidates as well as their time.
How do you treat them when they come to your office, regardless of whether they are selected or not?
If you have told them “we’ll get back to you” then give them a call with feedback within a stipulated amount of time.
Be prompt towards the candidate and lastly, not treating anyone as an option!
When Does Candidate Experience Begins?
It starts at the same moment when you post a job opportunity on your preferred recruitment platform.
It goes till the technical screening process and even extends till you and the candidate decide to part ways.
However, caring about candidate experience is not all about the cool merchandise or gifts you give to the candidate. It can certainly be termed as a part of it).
But, candidate experience is all about how the organization treats the candidate right from the first point of contact till the end of the process. How long do you make the candidate wait, how many times you do or do not reschedule the interviews, and so on.
Trust me, those merchandise that you hand over to the candidate as a thank you gift won’t change the opinion about the organization.
Also Read: 11 Steps Towards Transforming Assessment And Candidate Experience
Why Does Candidate Experience Matter And Who’s Responsible?
When you post a job requirement, it reaches an unlimited number of people all across the internet.
The number of people you connect with, over a job description is 10x more than what it would be 10 years back.
Now, think about all the candidates you’ve interacted with to fill different jobs in the last year.
The way you respond to them, coordinate with them and eventually finalize the entire process of interviewing/hiring with them, creates an image of your organization in their head.
If you carry out the entire process right, no matter whether the candidate is selected or not, they become the promoters of your company. They would be more than willing to share their experience with their professional connections.
And, that’s exactly what you are looking for! Now, the question arises….
Who’s Responsible For Candidate Experience?
Like us, Bullhorn was also keen to know the responsibility factor when it came to candidate experience.
Therefore, the result was 48% said it is the individual recruiter's responsibility. However, 45% said it is a shared responsibility i.e., recruiters and the whole organization.
I can’t agree more with the latter 45%. I know since the recruiter is in the front lines with the candidates, they are more accountable. But, that doesn’t mean they are fully responsible.
However, it isn’t hard to understand that improving the candidate experience is a team effort.
Little things like how welcoming and helpful the other employees of the company are, also play a major role in building a good candidate experience.
Here’s something we can learn from the consumer industries. They are way ahead of the game when it comes to enhancing the customer experience.
They have consumer feedback portals and they want the customer to experience the least amount of inconvenience.
A recruiter can introduce similar metrics in the organization to measure the candidate experience and how they can improve it.
However, when such an organization-wide feedback method is introduced, the responsibility doesn’t only rely on the shoulders of the recruiter. It is everyone’s responsibility.
What are your opinions on candidate experience? Does the candidate experience matter in your recruitment strategy? When do you think organizations will start taking candidate feedback?
