The way we treat people matters. As companies, we should make it a point to treat both employees and customers with respect. This leads to things like better employee retention and higher productivity. But should all of our energy be placed here? What about the people applying for roles within our company? These individuals matter too - and possibly much more than you think. This is why a great candidate experience is a must for every company.

In this Bryq Blog, we will explain why the candidate experience is so important to your business, and give you a handful of ways to help you enhance the candidate experience of your possible hires.

Why the Candidate Experience Matters

Brand Equity

Brand equity is vital to any business looking to succeed. This term refers to the social value of a brand. Of course, the value of a company improves when a company offers products of value and excellent customer service, but brand equity isn’t solely dictated by the way a company values its customers. The way a company treats its employees and prospective employees also factors into the way the public perceives it.

If you are looking to boost your brand equity, giving job hopefuls a positive candidate experience is a great way to do it. 

The One That Got Away

Don’t take talented potential hires for granted! We have all come across golden candidates we would love to hire, only for them to slip out of our hands. Why didn’t they accept us on our job offer? Our candidate experience could very likely be why.

If your candidate experience is negative or could use improvement, they may very well go with another company they are interviewing with. This initial stage of the onboarding process gives great insight into the inner-workings of your company. If a candidate feels like there are red flags popping up at the very beginning, they may decide your company isn’t a right fit for them. Don’t let great candidates slip away. Do something about it!

Culture is Key

Culture is huge. How you present your culture to potential hires is going to set the expectation of what it’s like to work at your company. If your company has a good culture that’s positive and aligns with a candidate’s cultural values, it will act as a great selling point. Candidates like being able to see what a company’s culture is like during the interview process. It helps them make better decisions. It also allows you to hire better cultural fits.

Ways to Enhance the Candidate Experience

It’s clear that the candidate experience matters. Your hiring process might be the deciding factor between a candidate accepting your job offer, or going with somebody else’s. There are several ways you can enhance the candidate experience while improving your hiring process.

Improve Time-to-Hire

A lengthy time-to-hire doesn’t bode well for your business. Not only does it hinder you from onboarding quality talent faster, but it will turn candidates off from your company. Nobody likes a waiting game, especially those eager to start the next chapter of their careers.

Additionally, don’t let too much time pass when making a hiring decision. Hire a candidate you’re sure about quickly before somebody else does. Hiring managers often spend too much time comparing candidates when they already know what the right decision is. A candidate isn’t going to wait around forever for you to call them back, especially if they have other employment opportunities in their pipeline.

Make the Application Process Easy

A complicated application process is something that stops job seekers from applying to roles. Candidates often need to insert information like job experience multiple times throughout the hiring process. They’ll be asked for resumes, cover letters, portfolios of their work, references, and even portfolios of their past work. Candidates might also need to go through various interviews with different members of the company, being sure to carefully prepare for each one of them. This is a lot of effort for candidates to put into a job they don’t have yet.

To create a better candidate experience, simplify your process. Be sure to ask for anything you might need from a candidate all at once, and try using tools that autofill any forms a candidate might need to fill out. (For example, candidates don’t like being asked to fill out a form with their job experience after being asked to submit a resume.) Keep your interview process as streamlined as possible, and use things like talent assessments to gauge whether or not a candidate might be a good fit for the role before you initiate contact with them.

Jumpstart Your Job Descriptions

Job descriptions are important. They are the first point of contact a job candidate will get with your company. Despite their importance, they’re easy for employers to get wrong. Employers often include or leave out important information that stops candidates from applying. It’s best to include things like salary expectations, benefits, and aspects about your company culture in the job description. On the other hand, having things like a “wish-list” and vague prerequisites might turn candidates away.

Additionally, language is important. Be sure that you are using language that not only attracts the right talent, but is also unbiased and inclusive. Certain words and phrases make job postings unappealing to female candidates and those who identify as LGBTQ+. Use your words carefully. Also, be sure to include an EEO statement to let candidates know that you are serious about equal opportunity employment. If you can display a welcoming environment for all from the very beginning, it will bode well for your company. This all helps add positively to the candidate experience.

Care About the Interview Process

Hiring managers should always respect a candidate’s time. Candidates spend a great amount of time preparing for interviews, and employers should appreciate the work that goes into being a job candidate. Be sure that your schedule is free from distractions or other engagements before scheduling an interview. Additionally, be sure to have thorough communication and a quick response time when talking to job candidates. Lack of communication and poor response times are a few of the things job candidates really don't like.

Now more than ever, companies are relying on digital platforms like Zoom or Skype to conduct job interviews. This doesn’t mean that you can interview a candidate from anywhere. For example, interviewing a candidate in your car on your way to the office is unacceptable. So is conducting an interview in a loud space. Don’t just fit in interviews into whatever free time you have. Put time aside to ensure that the job candidate has a comfortable space to put their best foot forward. Additionally, be sure to ask structured and unbiased interview questions. Asking the right questions will get you the right candidate.

Be Honest

Honesty is the best policy. Candidates appreciate open and honest communication. Give them realistic expectations about things like salary and benefits. Additionally, let them know when they’ll hear back from you about any decisions you’ve made in the hiring process. Ensure that your culture is presented in a way that is transparent and clear. Candidates find real value in being able to assess a company’s culture before accepting an offer. Be explicit about any expectations you have for candidates before extending a job offer, and never lie to a candidate.

Build a Great Candidate Experience - Bryq by Bryq

The candidate experience is so important to your business. It will dictate whether or not talented individuals accept your job offers, and if your candidate experience is great it will surely lead to things like boosted brand equity and better employee retention.

Bryq has played an important role in creating a better candidate experience for hundreds of companies. Our talent management software provides candidates with talent assessments that are interactive and fun to take. Our survey feedback shows that candidates are very satisfied and very engaged with Bryq talent assessments. Over 80% of our assessment takers have rated us a 4 out of 5 or higher in terms of satisfaction and engagement! When candidates finish the talent assessment, they receive instant feedback in the form of a PDF file assessing their personalities and cognitive ability. Even if they don’t score an interview, they get tangible feedback that helps them with their job search.

Not only do we connect employers with great talent, but we connect candidates to employers that are the right fit for them. Bryq is proud to help you hire talent, not resumes. Try us out today by requesting a demo with our Customer Success Team.