We’ve discussed the importance of the candidate experience before, in regards to what a company or organization provides during the hiring process. One of the keys to providing a great experience is quality communication with those candidates.
When you provide a great candidate experience, you enhance your employer brand. When you enhance your employer brand, you move one step closer to becoming an employer of choice. When you become an employer of choice, it becomes easier to successfully recruit and hire top talent in the marketplace. During this candidate-driven market, “ghosting” was prevalent on the candidate side. “Ghosting” is a term for the practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication. However, job candidates are not the only ones who can “ghost.” Employers can also be guilty of the practice, and when it’s not a candidate-driven market, they’re more likely to be guilty.
With that in mind, consider these questions in terms of your organization’s hiring process:
- When a job seeker applies for a job at your organization, what is their experience?
- Do they receive an acknowledgement that their application has been received?
- Will they be contacted even if they’re not a good fit or when they fail at a step in the recruiting workflow?
The fact of the matter is that there are certain things that candidates expect during the hiring process. Most of them expect an automated reply that acknowledges the submitting of their application, and some also expect a personal email message and/or a phone call.
Basically, a candidate wants to know if their application was received and what the next steps are in the process. Even if they’re not a viable candidate, they at least want to know that information, so they can focus their efforts somewhere else. The bottom line is that a poor applicant experience (or candidate experience) can be damaging to an organization. Specifically, it can be damaging to the organization’s reputation, and your reputation is at the heart of your employer brand.
One big reason this is the case is the proliferation of social media, which allows people to share their experiences, both good and bad. And of course, it’s human nature to share a bad experience more often than it is to share a good one. So when an organization provides a poor experience to one person, it rarely stays with just that one person. Thanks to the Internet and social media, one poor impression can turn into hundreds of poor impressions, if not more. And where is the danger in that, you might ask?
There is plenty of danger. For starters, that one candidate might have colleagues and co-workers who are better candidates than they are. Some of them could represent superstar talent. But after reading about the negative experience that one of their colleagues had with your organization, you have already been negatively branded in their minds. Consequently, it will be more difficult to successfully recruit and hire them at a later date.
Not only that, but if your organization is one that provides products and/or services to the public, then the person who received a poor experience, plus the people with whom they shared that poor experience on social media, may decide to no longer purchase your products or services. Or at the very least, they’ll be less likely to do so. As a result, both your company’s reputation and its bottom line take a hit, in large part because you did not communicate effectively with job candidates during the hiring process.
Communication during the hiring process
Can all of this be avoided? Of course! And Top Echelon Software understands the importance of the employer-candidate relationship. Top Echelon provides a solution to streamline personalized and professional communications between an employer and candidates. We accomplish this by offering a variety of communication tools throughout the recruiting process. These tools include the following:
#1—“Thank you for applying” messages
Ensure that every applicant receives acknowledgement when they submit their application. Decide whether applicants will receive this in their web browser after they apply or via email.
#2—Rejection messages
Notify the applicant if they aren’t moving forward in the hiring process. You may know an applicant isn’t a good fit right away or you might fail an applicant further down the road. Regardless, make sure you communicate with each applicant to close the loop.
#3—Automation
In Top Echelon, you can create automatic triggers and automated messages. For example, when you determine that an applicant is not moving forward in the process, you can set the system up to trigger an email two days later to let them know you won’t be proceeding with them.
#4—Powerful searching
It’s important to stay in touch. It’s entirely possible that you will come across great candidates who you can’t hire now. When you store their information in Top Echelon’s searchable database, you’ll be able to quickly access their information in the future. You can also send them information about new jobs that they might be a great fit for.
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the marketplace completely on its head. But while it might not be a candidate-driven market anymore, it doesn’t mean you as an organization has a “green light” to start “ghosting” candidates during the hiring process. Instead, put practices in place to make sure your communication with them is timely, appropriate and professional. If you need help, contact us today and learn what Top Echelon can do for your organization.
And also consider getting a free demo of Top Echelon Software. By replacing manual spreadsheets, paper resumes, and inefficient technology, Top Echelon can streamline your organization’s recruiting and hiring process!