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TalentRemedy

Navigating the Candidate Experience: What Matters to Job Seekers  

By Angela Wells 

  

Does your recruiting strategy include “the candidate experience”? Employee experience and engagement is important for retention and your organizational success. But let’s not ignore the experience candidates have in the selection process. This is also vital to success in recruiting efforts and to the company as well.  



A good experience includes connecting with candidates, responsive communication, showing transparency, and ensuring a smooth process.  There are also other areas that matter to candidates. Here are some key takeaways from a recent candidate experience survey

  

Brand Awareness 

 

An organization’s brand awareness matters! The way a candidate experiences your organization can have a significant impact on your brand. And your brand can have a significant impact on the candidate's experience and how they engage with you. Here are some areas that impact candidate experience. 

 

  • Company Website. Is your content engaging? It should be. Your content influences whether a candidate chooses to engage with you (especially those in the Millennial or Gen Z group). Content should be in a format that is easy to follow and visually appealing. 

 

  • Values and Culture. Are your values and culture consistent throughout your site? Remember you want to attract those that embody what’s important to the organization. Your candidates want to ensure they are working for an organization that supports what matters to them. 

 

  • Career Site. It should be intuitive with a dynamic interface, allow for fast load times, and have mobile features and responsive design. “Research findings reveal that 57% of respondents identify an organization’s career site as influential in their decision to engage with a prospective employer.”  

 

  1. Multiple device capability. Job seekers utilize multiple devices in their job search. They prefer searching on mobile devices initially and ultimately apply via computer where resumes are more available. 

 

  1. Short form videos. These are trending as a way to share current employees’ work experience, behind-the-scenes glimpses, company events, and job openings. Hearing or seeing work realities from employees aids in understanding what to expect. It gives candidates a sense of belonging, as well as filters through those that would be a good fit. 

 

  • Social Media Engagement. These channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X) humanize your employer brand for candidates. Engaging with potential job seekers on social platforms builds brand awareness, highlights company culture, and provides genuine interaction. A strong online presence can set you apart from other organizations.  

 

  • Peer Reviews/Feedback. Reviews from other candidates and employees influence candidate perception. (While only 8% stated reviews in places such as Indeed and Glassdoor deterred them, 49% showed them to be a favorable impact). It’s important to pay attention to negative reviews but encouraging those that have had positive experiences to review your organization has a substantial impact.  

 

Other Effective Recruiting Strategies 

 

In addition to brand awareness, here are more strategies to consider elevating your candidate’s experience. 

 

  • Personalize outreach and networking. Show the candidate taking the time to connect with them is important. 

 

  • Targeting different job board platforms to post. These ads have a direct effect on a candidate’s decision-making process regarding applying for, interviewing with, or joining an organization.  

 

  • Simplify the application process and make it concise. If it’s too time consuming, 40-42% abandon their application. Younger generations have a lower tolerance. 

 

  • Skills based hiring. Evaluate candidates objectively and identify those with the right capabilities for the job. Using skills assessments, competency-based interviews, and performance tasks opens the talent pool and can reduce bias with finding the right fit as the goal.  

 

Proactive Retention Strategy 

 

Consider what drives employees to consider leaving an organization. Make these a part of your retention strategy as well as within the conversation in the recruiting process. Sharing how these areas can be met (or not) at your company will allow the right candidate to choose you or be chosen. Talking about things up front and being transparent goes a long way.  

 

Examples of why people consider changing jobs include: 

 

  • Loss of enjoyment in work reduces motivation. 

  • Insufficient financial recognition when compensation doesn’t match effort or industry norm. 

  • Reduced flexibility or the inability to have work/life balance.  

  • Lack of growth opportunities, continuous learning or career progression. 

  

It’s important to note how potential candidates prefer to be engaged and where and how they make career decisions. You can maximize the candidate’s experience by looking at your recruiting strategies and brand awareness. Staying ahead of future changes is beneficial as the candidate landscape continues to evolve. 

  

Would you like support with your candidate experience? We can help! Our industry experts specialize in helping companies hire top talent to keep your organization successful. Contact us at info@talentremedy.com or 703-362-0175 to set up a time to learn more about how our team can support your hiring needs. 

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