The recruitment market is tough at the moment. With top candidates in such high demand and having more options than ever before, many companies are finding themselves competing for the best talent out there.

There are numerous things you could do to boost your chances of winning this so-called ‘war for talent’, but if you don’t provide an excellent candidate experience, you risk missing out on top talent.

You always want to make a good first impression. These initial interactions give potential candidates an insight into how their life might look at your company. In fact, according to CareerBuilder, 78% of candidates say the overall candidate experience is an indicator of how a company values its people. So, it’s extremely important to get it right.

Drawn out interview stages, poor communication, lengthy decision-making… all of these can leave candidates feeling uneasy and unsure.

But how do you create an experience that leaves candidates wanting more? One that will ultimately get them to sign on the dotted line?

Here are our top tips for creating a positive candidate experience…

Understand the Entire Journey

It’s important to know where the candidate experience starts and ends.

Walk in the shoes of your passive and active candidates to understand each touchpoint they come across. This way you’ll keep the whole picture in mind and won’t make the mistake of only addressing one step of the journey.

For many, their journey starts with your online presence. Make sure your website and social media sites are up to date with the correct and relevant information. You’ll also want to make sure that your website and job application process is easily understood and straightforward to navigate. Demonstrate a simple start to the application process.

Build A Simple and Effective Process

When creating your recruitment process, it can be tempting to include lots of moving parts to ensure you’re hiring the best possible candidates.

However, it’s important to consider whether everything is necessary.

A long-drawn-out process can be off-putting to candidates, especially as people feel increasingly time-poor. Evaluate each stage of your hiring process and question how effective they are. Can you combine or even remove stages? Do candidates really need to meet multiple teams and people?

Create Engaging Job Descriptions and Adverts

When creating your job descriptions and job adverts, you should avoid writing a list of tasks they will be expected to carry out.

Instead, focus on what candidates can bring to the business, what’s expected of them and what support they’ll receive along the way. This is a great opportunity to share your company values and who you are as a business whilst getting them excited about being a part of it.

Keep Communication Open and Regular

Communication can often make or break a candidate’s experience. Candidates need regular communication throughout the process so they can understand their position with your company and with their job search.

At the start of the process, you should set out expectations on how and when you’ll communicate with candidates. Try to be as open and transparent in these conversations as you can be.

If you’re not talking to your candidates regularly, you run the risk of losing them.

Always Review the Process

The job market is constantly changing so it’s important to be aware of what’s working and what isn’t. Develop a process of review to make sure you’re regularly evaluating and updating the hiring process.

You could even ask candidates to review the process. Find out from the experts what you did well and what you could improve on. And, most importantly, apply those changes!

Staying up to date will ensure that your recruitment process is the most effective it can be.

Don’t Hesitate

Last, but by no means least… Think you’ve found the right candidate? Don’t hang around as you can guarantee your competitor won’t. Move quickly as they won’t be on the market for long.

Looking for more advice on how to win the War for Talent? Get in touch! We’d love to talk more about how we can help you with your next hiring process.