"Nearly 9 out of 10 candidates believe the recruitment process reflects employee treatment." (Yaggo, 2024)
Candidate experience is a crucial component of the recruitment process.
A positive experience can enhance the image of your recruitment agency or company, attract top talent and improve employee retention. Conversely, a negative experience can have detrimental effects on your employer brand, hindering your ability to recruit the best profiles.Candidate experience is the synthesis of everything a candidate sees, hears, feels, and experiences throughout your hiring process.
One of the main advantages of working on the candidate journey is that few recruiters and companies currently do it. This therefore constitutes a work axis to exploit to stand out from the competition and attract new talent while retaining current employees. Moreover, optimizing this experience allows candidates to thrive in their future work environment.
In this article, we will explore key figures, mistakes to avoid, and best practices to adopt to improve the candidate experience.
Key figures of the candidate experience
To provide you with some insights into the current job market and candidate experience situation, we have chosen to share figures from thecandidate experience barometer recently published by Yaggo in collaboration with IFOP:
- 87% of respondents believe that the application experience reflects how a company treats its employees.Clearly, candidate experience is a direct reflection of your company values and practices, making it the perfect time to make a good impression and ensure a polished candidate journey to enhance your company's attractiveness.
- 82% of respondents have already had a bad experience during a recruitment process. Hop! Hop! Hop! It is urgent to act to offer a better experience to all candidates and not to put them off potential employer relationships.
- 8 out of 10 applicants report having attended an interview without ever receiving feedback from the recruiter afterward.How can such an important step be neglected for the candidate? They took the time, traveled, and deserve not to be left in uncertainty after an interview. Transparency is essential for improving talent retention.
- 79% of respondents believe that the acceptable waiting time after an application is between 3 and 14 days.And you, recruiters, what are your average response times? Reducing this recruitment time allows for effective hiring and prevents losing potential candidates.
- 71% of respondents would not accept their application to be solely reviewed and evaluated by an AI. This figure shows the caution needed regarding time gains possible through AI in selection processes. AI should not dehumanize the candidate/employer relationship and must be used wisely!
The 5 best practices to improve the candidate experience
1. Inspire the desire to apply
Candidate experience starts even before they apply.
A well-written job offer is essential to attract talents, especially in a talent war period. We recently providedour advice on writing job offers.
Numerous reasons can deter candidates from applying for a job, such as a lengthy job description, an extensive list of unrealistic criteria, or overly long application forms. Make sure to take great care of the image conveyed through your offer (values, workspaces, mission interest, salary policy...)
Also, ensure that your application process is mobile-friendly, as more and more candidates apply for jobs using their smartphones.
Nicoka Tips: Simplify the application form by requesting only essential information. Regularly test application links on your various job boards to eliminate any technical issues. Test the form from a mobile device.
2. The crucial importance of communication and feedback
Nothing is worse than waiting weeks to hear back from a recruiter.
Don't leave candidates without news. Lack of feedback after an application or interview is often perceived as disrespectful and harms your employer brand. It is important to respond to all candidates, as it has a lasting impact on the recruitment journey.
Be transparent from the first exchanges about your response time commitments and uphold these commitments to establish a trust-based relationship. If the decision-making process takes longer than expected, they should be informed.
Also, candidates expect the final response not to be a generic reply like: "The selected candidate had more experience than you." Provide constructive feedback so candidates understand the reasons for rejection and areas for improvement in their application approach. Personalize your communications to the maximum extent to avoid the impression of a canned response.
Remember that a candidate not selected today could become a potential client or employee tomorrow.
Nicoka Advice: With our solution, you can create email templates to personalize based on recruitment stages andthen measure the time between each step
3. Use Candidate Management Tools
Using an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is essential if you are a recruitment professional.
Read the following article:our tips for choosing your ATS.
A candidate management software allows better management ofsourcing and candidate tracking. This will help you personalize your communications and improve overall talent selection efficiency.
Additionally, these solutions enable easier recruitment, improving overall recruitment strategy efficiency, and facilitatinghuman resources management.
Nicoka CABS: the custom recruitment software! A personalized recruitment process, tailor-made interview questionnaires, and a candidate database with which you can easily communicate.
4. Request feedback from candidates
Send satisfaction questionnaires to applicants to get their opinion on the recruitment process. Feedback helps identify candidate expectations and the areas for improvement. To obtain constructive feedback, it's crucial to ask the right questions.
Here are some question formulations to include in your satisfaction questionnaires:
- Was the application form clear and easy to fill out?
- How do you rate the clarity of the information provided throughout the recruitment process?
- Wascommunication during the recruitment process regular and sufficient?
- Did you find our recruitment team responsive and available?
- Were the questions asked during the interview relevant and professional?
- Did your perception of the company culture evolve during the recruitment process? If so, how?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, would you recommend applying to us to a friend or colleague? This question allows you to gather a key indicator called the candidate NPS (Net Promoter Score).
Nicoka Tip: Customize your questionnaires in Nicoka to create a tailor-made and personalized questionnaire. Trigger the automatic sending of questionnaires based on the recruitment stage (e.g., status changed to "Refused" = send questionnaire)
5. Train recruiters
Recruiter training is crucial for fostering a positive and consistent recruitment process.
HR managers and recruitment teams are often the first points of contact between candidates and the company, and their behavior, competence, and professionalism can significantly influence candidate perception.
This is why they must be trained in new recruitment methods, such as digitization and gamification, to recruit more effectively in a competitive job market.
We have compiled a selection of 3 specialized "Recruitment" training courses:
- L’Ecole du Recrutement:https://lecoledurecrutement.fr/
- Blendy:https://www.weblendy.com/bootcamp-tshaped
- La Collab:https://lacollab.com/la-collab-academy-2/formation-recrutement-au-service-experience-candidats/
As a bonus, take advantage of the numerous resources available on LeCollectif du Recrutement. It is a network of profession actors who have made it their mission to promote recruitment in France and consolidate useful resources.
Conclusion
Candidate experience plays a fundamental role in attracting and retaining talent. By avoiding common mistakes and adopting best practices, you can create a positive and memorable experience for candidates. Investing in appropriate tools and software, such as those offered by our company, allows for personalization at every recruitment stage and collecting valuable feedback.
