Hiring is becoming a candidate-driven market, and the race to secure top talent is only getting more competitive. Traditionally, only employers needed to find out during interviews if a candidate was a good skills and culture match, but now more than ever, candidates are also busy evaluating the potential working relationship.

It’s no secret that traditional career expectations have evolved substantially over the past decade. According to Deloitte, we’re seeing employees and jobseekers place growing importance on things like flexibility, purposeful work, and company ethics.

Competition is rife for great roles and great employees. Employers need to create a positive impression from the candidate’s first touchpoint, right through to either hiring or rejecting them. A good candidate experience will result in higher job acceptance rates and happier, more engaged employees that align with your mission, but a bad candidate experience can result in your reputation taking a serious blow.

Take a look at our article on creating a positive employer brand, if you want to learn more about managing your reputation as an employer.

Keep reading to find out how you can improve your candidate’s experience when hiring!

1. Know why you’re hiring

This sounds obvious, but before you even begin writing that job description, ask yourself if you know exactly why you’re hiring for the role. Have you performed a skills-gap analysis? Do you know what your ideal candidate looks like and what skills or qualifications they have?

According to Allegis Group, 72% of hiring managers think they’re writing clear job descriptions but only 1 in 3 candidates would agree.

Our quick tips for creating great job descriptions

Understanding the role and knowing exactly what you’re looking for will attract higher quality candidates, as well as better equip you during the interview process.

2. Improve your hiring process

Understandably, many employers worry about hiring the wrong people and the consequences that come along with it. However, having excessive interview rounds or intrusive job applications doesn’t actually mean that you’ll hire a higher quality candidate.

Long or muddled hiring processes are a turn-off for most serious jobseekers, and they’re costly and inefficient for employers. If you’ve completed the first step of knowing exactly why you’re hiring, use that knowledge to inform your recruitment process. Use a strategic approach with job applications, skills testing and interviews, and ensure that everything you’re asking of candidates has a reason behind it. Combining a hands-on skills assessment with an interview can be an effective way to get a holistic and more objective view of a candidate’s skillset and personality.

3. Communicate early and often

All candidates want to be kept in the loop when they apply for a role, with studies showing that up to 85% of candidates rate consistent communication as the top driver of recruitment process satisfaction. So, following up on an application promptly should be a priority for you as a hiring manager.

While this can feel overwhelming, especially when roles can receive hundreds of applications (Glassdoor reported that corporate jobs now typically receive over 250 applications per role!), early responses and hiring workflows can often be automated.

Jobseeking can be a highly stressful experience, so if you’re not seriously considering a candidate – let them know.

4. Interviewing

Hiring managers expect candidates to have done their due diligence and read up on the company before an interview, so it’s only fair that interviewers know the basics of who they’re talking to as well. Take time to read through the interviewees CV and application, prepare relevant questions, and be ready to answer their questions. It’s also important to put the candidate at ease and establish a rapport, nobody enjoys job interviews and even the best talent can underperform in an interview if they feel uncomfortable. At the end of the interview, you should set expectations and give the candidate a clear timeline and outline of next steps so they aren’t left in the dark – this will also save you time responding to unnecessary email questions.

5. Integrate tech and track important metrics

Don’t be afraid of making your life easier and your hiring process better by using technology. You want to hire a brilliant employee, and jobseekers want responsive, communicative employers, so take advantage of the tools available to you to make sure that happens.

If you feel overwhelmed by the number of responses your job ads get, and you want to ensure you’re not missing a hidden gem, use smart screening tools that can do the heavy lifting for you.

If you’re committed to creating positive hiring experiences that build high-performing teams, your recruitment strategy should keep evolving and be constantly improved upon. Ask for feedback from applicants and interviewees, and actually use it. Read our 2024 guide to data-driven recruitment here, to learn more about establishing a hiring process that grounds decisions in empirical evidence. It’s not as scary as it sounds!

Get in touch with Osavus today to find out how we’re building a platform that makes recruitment better for everyone!