Impress Your Candidate

Are you providing a good candidate experience? Hiring managers and recruiters sometimes forget that it’s not just the candidate that has to put in the effort. From the application to the job interview, your candidate will be judging the company based on the entire process. If your team fails to deliver, you might lose a quality candidate.

If candidates are turning down a perfectly good job offer, it’s time to review your recruitment process. Here are 5 tips that could help you turn things around.
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1) Be on Time
Candidates are continuously told to arrive at least 15 minutes early before an interview. Hiring managers should show the same courtesy. Once an interview has been scheduled, ensure that you have no conflicting appointments. Remember, this will be the first impression a candidate will have of their possible supervisor.

2) Provide Clear Instructions
A job interview is already a nerve wracking experience. Help your candidate prep for the big day by dropping hints on what will be asked during the interview. Let them know in advance if there are any tests that they would need to prepare for. You don’t need to spoon-feed your candidate answers, but ensuring candidates feel prepared will affect their overall performance.

3) Set Expectations
While most hiring managers think they’ve provided clear job descriptions, only 36% of candidates say they’ve read good job descriptions. It’s important to clear any misunderstandings and discuss the job responsibilities during the job interview. Cite examples of tasks and share future projects that the candidate might be required to handle. Also, be sure to include what the candidate can achieve through their job, detail potential promotions, new skills they can learn, or any other potential opportunities the job will give them.

4) Don’t Leave Them Hanging
Did you know candidates are 3.5 times less likely to reapply if they do not receive updates on the ir application? If a candidate takes time to apply for a position, it’s only fair for hiring managers and recruiters to give them updates on their application. Even if the position has been filled, you could respond with something like this;
 
“Hi John! Thank you for your interest. Unfortunately, the position has already been filled but we’ll keep you in mind for future openings.”

5) Ask for Feedback
It’s best to hear about the candidate’s experience first-hand rather than reading negative feedback online. 72% of candidates have shared their poor candidate experience online or with someone directly. After the interview, provide a feedback form for the candidate to fill out or email them a link to an online questionnaire. There’s always room for improvement.

Treat your candidates like customers or clients. Put your best foot forward and give your candidate more reasons to want to be part of your company.