The U.S. is experiencing one of the most pronounced and longstanding labor shortages in recent history. From 2021 to 2023, more than 100 million employees quit their jobs. Yet, hiring rates continue to outpace quit rates, giving today’s candidates more flexibility than ever.
Because candidates have choices, it has become increasingly critical for hiring professionals to focus on creating an excellent candidate experience that caters to the needs of top talent and makes them want to accept an offer. Making data-driven decisions about this process is crucial, as it ensures hiring professionals understand what candidates want and how to deliver.
As Gen Z enters the workforce and candidate sentiment continues to shift, it can be challenging for talent acquisition (TA) professionals to pin down a strategy for ensuring the candidate’s experience is positive and memorable.
The candidate experience can be defined as the process one goes through with a prospective employer throughout the recruitment process and how the candidate feels about that experience. The components that comprise the candidate experience include:
Though the candidate experience has many moving parts, it’s essential to get it right. After all, the candidate experience is part of the employer brand, which is the company’s reputation as a workplace. If the organization is known for an unfavorable candidate experience, talent with other options may go elsewhere.
A great candidate experience also helps companies reduce hiring costs. When candidates know they’ll have an enjoyable experience, a company doesn’t have to spend as much on job advertising. Instead, exceptional applicants will seek out the employer. Additionally, they’re more likely to accept an offer from a company with a great reputation, which lowers the cost-per-hire.
Attracting quality talent is vital for long-term business success. It’s what ensures the organization has the necessary knowledge and skills to meet goals and objectives.
Talent acquisition professionals find it difficult to balance a positive experience with the need for speed in hiring. Here are just some of the challenges they face:
With so much competition, hiring professionals should do what they can to overcome these challenges and create an experience that candidates rave about.
Hiring professionals can use the following data-driven strategies to improve the candidate experience.
Leveraging high-quality applicant tracking systems allows for efficient processing. With the right structure, these systems streamline the application process and allow candidates to keep track of their status without the need for constant communication.
AI-powered chatbots provide immediate answers to frequently asked questions about job openings, application processes, and company culture, reducing wait time for candidates and improving engagement. AI simplifies the application process by guiding candidates through each step, helping them fill out forms accurately and efficiently, reducing frustration and improving completion rates.
Programmatic advertising enhances the candidate experience by delivering targeted, personalized, and engaging job opportunities. Organizations create a more positive and efficient experience for candidates by optimizing the recruitment process and ensuring effective communication.
TA professionals should employ data analytics to optimize job descriptions and the application process. Available data analyzes competitors’ job descriptions and identifies the keywords candidates search for and respond to.
Predictive analytics also help hiring professionals understand which candidates are best suited for which roles, improving the candidate experience and employee satisfaction. In this way, data helps hiring professionals personalize the candidate journey, ensuring their needs are met and they feel highly valued.
Tip: Recruitics’ VisionTM technology provides comprehensive features tailored to recruitment marketing needs. It facilitates meticulous tracking and empowers professionals to tell compelling stories with their data.
For recruitment professionals who wish to elevate the candidate experience, streamlining the application process is critical. In 2020, 61% of submitted job applications were completed on a mobile phone, signaling a shift in how candidates apply for jobs. Also, because 70% of job seekers are likely to abandon job applications that take more than 15 minutes to complete, it’s important to shorten lengthy applications.
Hiring professionals should consider implementing solutions for timely communication. Candidates want to know their application status, ask questions about compensation and benefits, and receive feedback about their interview experience. Consider leveraging a mix of automated systems and personalized communication to keep candidates engaged in the process.
Difficult interview scheduling processes negatively impact the employer brand, so hiring professionals should consider using calendar apps to allow candidates to schedule their own interviews. Additionally, candidates appreciate receiving personalized feedback soon after the interview concludes, and they often expect to receive an offer (or a kind rejection) within a week.
Monitoring key performance indicators is critical for measuring the success of the candidate experience. For example, hiring professionals can focus on:
Recruitment marketing professionals should also seek out candidate feedback via surveys and use the data to refine the recruitment process.
As hiring professionals use data to improve the candidate experience, it’s important to be upfront and transparent in addressing data privacy concerns. Candidates want to know what employers will do to safeguard their data and how this information will be used to their benefit during the recruiting process.
TA professionals should ensure their recruitment processes still have a human touch. Although AI, chatbots, and ATS systems can help make hiring more efficient, there is no substitute for human interaction to make a candidate feel valued.
The ability to interpret data is essential. Data can become overwhelming without proper training, leading to missed opportunities or misguided strategies. Data interpretation training equips recruitment professionals with the critical skills needed to transform numbers into meaningful insights.
Tip: Recruitics’ Vision ProTM delivers detailed reporting and complete ROI visibility from media to hire, allowing hiring professionals to gather and analyze recruitment data easily.
As technology evolves, recruitment teams will become more reliant on digital systems and algorithms. Hiring professionals should consider the rise of virtual and augmented reality and how these tools might enhance the candidate experience by providing virtual interviews or virtual office walkthroughs.
Forward-thinking companies may also experiment with blockchain to verify candidate credentials. Often, this technology provides a higher level of data security, giving candidates more peace of mind.
Data-driven recruitment helps hiring professionals understand candidate expectations and create an experience that lives up to them. It streamlines the application process, provides timely communication and feedback, and ensures candidates feel valued. It also provides companies with a competitive advantage, allowing them to see and respond to emerging trends to gain the attention of sought-after candidates.
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Recruitics’ experts can help you improve your candidate experience and attract the best talent. Contact us today.
