Did you know that a negative candidate experience (CandE) is likely to be shared online by 69.4% of candidates? And that’s not all. 54.1% of candidates who had a negative CandE develop a negative perception of the brand and are likely to never buy from the company.
As a trusted recruitment agency in Singapore, we believe that improving candidate experience is the top priority for recruiters. As this allows recruiters to win more talent and earn positive reviews especially in competitive industries such as tech and cybersecurity. If you’re looking to improve your candidate experience and edge out the competition in Singapore’s war for talent, this guide will show you how.
7 Steps to Improving Your Candidate Experience
A positive candidate experience starts with a great first impression on your careers site. This is followed by a simple and easy recruitment process which portrays your friendliness and support for candidate success. This might seem like a tough assignment, but you can pull it off by just following these steps.
1. Understand What Candidate Experience Means
To improve your candidate experience, first understand what CandE means—according to candidates.
Source: Career Builder
Now that you know what you’re to focus on, take the candidate journey yourself. After that, compare the results with your Applicant Tracking System’s recruitment analytics. Check your performance in the below candidate experience metrics:
Mobile readiness – is your careers site and application process accessible via mobile?
Job application time – how long does it take to complete the job application?
Application drop off rate – of those who start the application process, how many complete it?
Recruiter response time – how long does it take for the recruiter to answer candidates’ questions?
Candidate satisfaction – how satisfied are candidates with every stage of the recruitment process?
2. Refine Your Job Description
70% of candidates start their journey at your job description. The question is, does your job description encourage them to apply or does it leave them confused? Today’s candidates don’t want to waste time trying to figure out what you’re looking for or what the job requirements are.
Provide a concise list of requirements and show what the job is like by mentioning responsibilities, work culture, pay, benefits, flexibility options, as well as who they’ll be working with and reporting to. Show that you’re a great employer and qualified candidates will apply immediately with the hope of getting hired.
3. Simplify the Application Process
The application stage is where things start going really wrong. Up to 74% of candidates drop out of the application process. Two of the biggest culprits are unclear application instructions and a lengthy application process.
To reduce your drop off rates, only ask the necessary questions and make them few and concise. Check to ensure that your application process is optimized for mobile. Confirm that uploading documents is easy and that the application can be saved and completed later. Remember to implement a progress bar to show candidates how far they are in the process.
4. Empower Candidates to Succeed
Many qualified candidates fail interviews due to nervousness. If these candidates received a little “help,” they would not only ace the interviews but also love your company more. Consider offering candidates the below forms of assistance for a better experience:
Structure your interviews to have standardized questions and fewer interviewers involved
Be flexible with interview schedules to accommodate employed candidates who might otherwise have to break from their jobs to attend interviews
Offer access to employees who work in the department with the open position as well as hiring managers who can answer any questions about the job
Share your values and beliefs to let candidates know that regardless of their background, the process will be fair, with no recruitment bias
5. Optimize the Process for Remote Candidates
In this era of remote teams and work-from-home options, the requirements of candidate experience extend to virtual hiring events. We all know that virtual events tend to lack the human touch. However, with the right tools and some preparation, remote hiring can also provide a positive experience for candidates.
Since online recruitment solutions allow for customization, design the virtual rooms with a look and feel that resembles your physical office. Give candidates the opportunity to choose between the typical video interview and a recorded video interview. Instead of sending them interview questions via email, record yourself asking the questions. The more engagement you provide, the better their experience.
If conducting a face-to-face interview, emphasize that you don’t expect a perfect setup; they should even be free to use their smartphones.
6. Make Your Communication Consistent and Personalized
Personalization should not be a preserve of customers only. This CX basic should be extended to job candidates too. And just as personalization makes customers feel valued, candidates will feel the same and know that your company treats its employees well.
Throughout the hiring process, be consistent with your communication and keep the experience positive by:
Communicating the expected timeline of the hiring process. 83% of candidates say this greatly improves the overall experience
Communicating the results of screening processes, skills assessments and interviews
Communicating next steps after every successful stage
Showing empathy in your rejection letters and explaining why the candidates were not hired
7. Provide and Ask for Feedback
Feedback contributes to a positive CandE especially when it comes after candidate assessment tests, interviews, and when candidates are no longer advancing to the next stage. A Talent Board study found that CandE increased by 20% when candidates received feedback on an assessment they had taken.
When providing feedback, do your best to highlight candidates’ strengths and mention areas which need improvement. This makes them feel valued and they will love you for helping them become better. Also remember to ask for feedback regarding your recruitment process. Although some candidates may not respond to feedback requests, whatever you learn from those who respond will help improve your company’s CandE further.
Conclusion
One of the biggest factors determining who wins the war for talent in Singapore is candidate experience. Unlike factors like salary and benefits, winning in CandE doesn’t need deep pockets or out-of-this-world expertise. As long as you’re willing to put in the effort, you can have an edge over your competition and start attracting great talents.
You can also outsource your recruitment to us and we’ll provide you with engaged talents to help you keep costs down and increase productivity.
Read More: The Do's and Don'ts of Tech Recruitment in Singapore