We found our dream home and were instantly smitten. Picked out the colour schemes and we were ready to seal the deal, all we needed was a little help from the Agent. Instead, we got vagueness and rushed paperwork……
And from that moment on, I hated every minute of the home-buying experience.
As first-time home buyers in Qld, we hoped for guidance however, what we got was far from our expectations. We received hastily emailed contracts on a Sunday morning with a noon deadline and little room for discussion or negotiation. We felt unsupported. This experience has left a lasting impression, and we’d most definitely seek a different Agent if we ever decide to sell.
Now, this post is not about bagging the real estate industry. I’m a Recruiter, I’m certainly not one for throwing stones at any other profession!
My point is we need to get better at creating great experiences. It is critical because if it’s done badly detrimental effects can be lasting.
Any publicity is good publicity, right?
Wrong. The Washington Post wrote an article stating that we are more likely to remember negative experiences and broadcast these widely over positive experiences.
According to LI, nearly 60% of applicants have had a poor candidate experience, and 72% have shared these experiences online
How can a Recruiter help?
A good Recruiter will become an extension of your business and guide and support the candidates applying for your roles.
Their job is to promote and protect your brand by facilitating fair and open recruitment practices and delivering positive candidate experiences that will shape every applicant’s perception of your company.
The sign of a good Recruiter is someone who understands (or invests time to understand) your business, culture and team values as well as the roles being recruited. This ensures every candidate has a clear picture of what it’s like to work for you – often warts and all but it’s more than a Position Description could ever hope to provide.
Design processes for the unsuccessful
There will always be disappointment, unfortunately, you can’t hire everyone.
But with that in mind, design workflows for the unsuccessful candidates. Regardless of the outcome, every applicant should be notified and made to feel like they’ve been fairly assessed and treated respectfully. If handled properly, the application process can still be a positive experience.
85% of job seekers admit their decisions to reapply to a company are swayed by the positive or negative experiences they’d previously encountered.
Time for introspection
Can your current workflows support increased application numbers whilst not compromising on the quality of care? When did you last ask a candidate for feedback during the hiring process? Is it time to take a more critical approach to assessing your hiring methods?
One thing is for sure, if you believe the candidate experience doesn’t matter, your competitors will certainly be thinking differently. They are already adopting a candidate-centric approach to recruitment and seeing the benefits and ROI. When the market shifts and there’s a return to talent shortages or a general reluctance to change jobs; those businesses already building strong reputations through enhanced talent attraction will have the upper hand.
At Tangerine Orange, every new client collaboration starts with a Sourcing Health Check. Using data gathered across the entire recruiting lifecycle we comprehensively assess the efficacy of sourcing and hiring practices and gauge the maturity of candidate experience. These insights uncover any areas hindering recruiting efforts and enable us to refine processes, improve the candidate journey, and support growth objectives. Contact us if you’d like to discuss your current strategies and explore opportunities for improvement…
