3 Ways Hiring Managers Can Repair the Candidate Experience

3 Ways Hiring Managers Can Repair the Candidate Experience A CareerBuilder survey reveals that 82 percent of employers think there’s little to no negative impact on the company when a candidate has a bad experience during the hiring process—but that couldn’t be less true. Not only can an unpleasant candidate experience reflect negatively on you and your employer brand, but Steve Lowisz, CEO of global recruitment research firm Qualigence International, says it can leave candidates feeling unappreciated and disrespected.

In a recent SHRM article by Roy Maurer, Lowisz suggests there are three things that can contribute to a negative candidate experience: a lengthy and tedious application process; failing to keep in touch with candidates after making initial contact; and lack of engagement from recruiters during the hiring process. To help your healthcare organization recruit top talent and engage with a pool of quality candidates, review your recruitment process and consider the following three tips.

1. Improve Your Application Process

According to the survey, 40 percent of candidates feel the application process has become “more difficult” in the last five years. Of those, 50 percent said it has “so many more steps than it used to have.” Today, in order to make your recruitment process successful, you must have a career site that’s optimized for smartphones because 45 percent of job seekers say they use their mobile device specifically to search for jobs at least once a day.

Eighty percent of career sites don’t have mobile friendly options, which can cause a negative experience as candidates struggle to access and navigate through information about the company, according to Catherine Hess, Marketing Manager for GreenJobInterview. A clear path to open positions, salary and benefits, and company culture information should require only one or two clicks—anything longer will turn away frustrated candidates.

2. Follow Up with Candidates

A common pet peeve of most candidates is not getting a timely response from potential employers regarding their hiring status, leaving them unsure of whether or not to pursue an opportunity somewhere else. Of the candidates polled in the survey, 36 percent said they expected to be updated throughout the application process, but only 26 percent of employers actively communicate to candidates what stage of the hiring process they are in.

Sarah Gordon, Professional Recruitment Mentor and Trainer, advises employers to think from the candidate’s perspective. When a candidate submits a CV, they generally expect to receive feedback within 48 hours. When attending an interview, they generally expect to receive feedback within 24 hours. Yet it’s not uncommon for candidates to wait over two weeks for feedback on a CV, and over a week for a feedback on an interview—especially when the employer is interviewing a large number of candidates.

3. Engage with Recruiters

The lack of or ineffective communication between hiring managers and recruiters is the greatest challenge recruiters face in the industry. “If there’s a poor relationship, the recruiter is not going to be able to understand what the hiring manager really needs, which leads to mis-hires, or not hiring at all,” Lowisz says. According to Undercover Recruiter, the cost of a bad hire can cost an employer between $25,000 and $220,000.

“Recruiters and managers should work together to define the hiring experience, including the responsibilities and expectations for each role in the process,” says Sharlyn Lauby, President of ITM Group Inc. “We all have the same goal—hire the best talent.” However, if there’s an area to focus on more effective communication that will improve the hiring process, it’s that recruiters must have a thorough understanding of the position they’re filling. “I believe this is going to vary by position, but recruiters and hiring managers should discuss what the crucial elements are and what recruiters need to find out in the screening phase of the process. The reality is, job descriptions change all the time. Taking the time to meet with the hiring manager will confirm the job requirements and the essential skills.”

“Every single candidate touch point—the online application, each interaction with the scheduler, the preparedness of the interviewers, the turnaround time in communicating with candidates, the way an offer is delivered—reflects on the employer,” says Leela Srinivasan, Chief Marketing Officer for Lever. That’s why it’s critical for HR leaders, hiring managers and recruiters to work together to provide their candidates with a positive and rewarding experience.

How do you see the recruitment process evolving in the next five years? Please leave us a comment below. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Dallas, TX

By Antique Nguyen 

Source: The PreCheck Blog