Achieving a Positive Candidate Experience While Volume Hiring

HR Managers are the frontline leaders who help organizations to attract talent, fill vacant positions, and improve capacity. In executing their role, each step of the hiring process (sourcing, interviewing, hiring, onboarding) contributes to branding, which, in turn, is closely linked to a positive candidate experience.

A Deloitte research report finds that 87% of employees say their positive hiring experience has changed their perception of the company. Meanwhile, another CEB report finds that 70% of HR professionals agree that candidate experience matters, but only 40% monitor it in one way or another.

Mastering the process for attaining a positive candidate experience is not at all easy. Daily conversations among HR managers with their leaders, team members, or colleagues must focus on adopting the best talent acquisition strategies and hiring practices, and on improving candidate experiences to be successful. It necessitates that they measure and re-measure their HR policies and actions to devise ways forward.

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when a record number of employees are leaving their jobs, it becomes increasingly difficult for recruiters to attract and retain talent. A Microsoft report says that 40% of the global workforce would leave their current employer this year. More, improving the candidate experience is challenging even in small volumes, however, the challenge is compounded when hiring is to be done in lofty volume.

Dubbed as ‘High volume hiring’, it is the process wherein a large number of candidates (ranging from hundreds to thousands) are hired in a shorter period. To win this talent war, recruiters invest hours of time and resources to promote the open positions, recruit and secure potential candidates, and connect them with the right position.

Methods to Achieve Positive Candidate Experience

According to a Glassdoor report, on average, a corporate vacancy attracts 250 job applications, of which 4 to 6 will be called for an interview, and 1 will be offered the position. Think about the massive data that recruiters would be going through for attaining the goals of high-volume hiring! Additionally, ensuring a positive candidate experience for each applicant is an opportunity to showcase your brand image and leave a lasting positive impression. To connect further, below are some of the well-researched suggestions for recruiters:

Rethink the Way You Talk about the Vacant Positions

Your first move towards a positive candidate experience starts with the way you project vacancies in the dynamic job market. Getting to know the company culture, employee life, and social responsibilities are of high importance to job seekers. One step further, leading recruiters also share living documents with potential candidates to establish ‘expectation conversions’ and avoid surprises. Talent leaders must be forward-facing to make the candidates feel as if they already belong to them.

Let Technology Improve Your Candidate Experience

Technology provides a clear, structured way to manage the process and reduces your worries. As the situation evolves, many recruiters remain unsure about their contingency plan and what steps to take. Having kept all data and the information in place, techno-enabled hiring solutions will provide you with the best coordination- before, during, and after- hiring process.

When improving the recruitment process, technology certainly helps. It allows talent leaders to receive, analyze, evaluate, record, and maintain large volumes of hiring data on time and with ease. Plus, it allows you to collect quick feedback, identify the loopholes, and make improvements for the future.

Walk In the Shoes of Your Active and Passive Candidates

Take a field ride into the entire recruitment process to understand the complete candidate journey. Honestly, it can be moving ‘slightly’ out of your comfort zone and making the hiring need assessment from the candidates’ viewpoint. In fact, a candidate’s journey is the sum of ‘micro experiences’ they encounter from beginning to end. Certainly, the candidate experience cannot be favorable if merely one portion of the journey is addressed while the other remains unaddressed.

Communicate Regularly to Ensure Transparency

Candidates strongly crave active communication during the entire hiring cycle. To avoid letting the candidates feel forgotten, alienated, or sidelined, the role of communication is unquestionable. Plus, how you communicate, what is the time duration, what communication mode you opt for, and how transparent you remain shall follow through. The use of technology to send automated notifications, emails, or guidelines at regular intervals can support creating a positive candidate experience and convert applicants into business admirers.

Amid mixed signs in the global market, recruiters have to restore the volume of vacant positions in fallout zones and build a competitive advantage. With more technology, consistent communication, and the right strategies, hiring volume can provide the right stimulus to drive measurable fiscal results for your company.