Nowadays, not only recruiters are demanding, but candidates also. Both can shape their opinion based on what they experienced firsthand. That’s why Candidate Experience is so important in recruitment processes. This concerns not only opinion about the recruiter or employer, but above all the company. CE is the key in building employer branding and has always been. At a time of the coronavirus pandemic, when a lot of people lost their jobs, plays a significant role.

What, exactly, is Candidate Experience (CE)? This is an overall impression of the candidate concerning the recruitment process in which he is involved. How, then, can you ensure positive Candidate Experience, when most meetings now take place online?

You’ve made your bed, now lie in it

Have you ever met the same candidate in two different recruitment processes… or maybe at a nearby shop? There is sometimes a situation when a previous potential candidate is now your potential business partner. However, will he want to cooperate with you or your company, if his Candidate Experience isn’t good?

Below, we prepared 3 things for you, which you should draw attention during recruitment at your company if you want to make sure that your employer and you have a good brand.

1. Respect candidates’ time

Do you like, when someone is late for the meeting? Do you feel frustrated, when the meeting is getting longer and longer, but you have already planned something for the free afternoon? That’s why you should take punctuality and timeliness to heart. Treat others as you would like to be treated. You should definitely inform when is the deadline for sending candidates’ applications. Then, write how long the recruitment process will be and until when can applicants expect a decision and invitation to an interview. They sometimes apply for more than one job at the same time, so the waiting period is crucial. What’s more, you should inform the candidates, how the job interview will look like. Is it gonna be a phone call or online meeting? If you want to organize an online meeting, which platform do you prefer? In the email, you should also include a short instruction for the correct installation and usage of the platform. And because of that, candidates will avoid unnecessary technical problems and stress.

2. Give everybody as much time and attention as he needs

A large majority of people are always well prepared for job interviews, so should you be. Lack of knowledge of a candidate’s CV, which was specially prepared and sent to the specified email address, can be seen as a complete lack of respect. Therefore, read an applicant’s CV carefully during the selection phase, and then decide, who you want to talk to. Don’t bother people, who don’t meet your requirements and expectations. Respect peoples’ and your time. This is also important to specify a job offer. Include in this offer everything, what is important: working hours, duties, amount of salary, required experience, and, what’s important, what the company offers to the newly hired employees.

3. Keep candidates informed of the recruitment process

If you chose one of ten candidates - respect the remaining nine! Maybe someday you’ll meet them in private or professional life. After finished meetings, phone calls, videoconferences, or after all the recruitment process - contact candidates to give them feedback. He’s probably looking forward to it! In addition,  get permission to contact them to encourage them to apply for other, but similar, positions in the future. In the end, if you haven’t hired the candidate but you want people to have a good opinion of you and your company, don’t forget to thank him for taking his time.

Take up the baton!

Candidate Experience is not only how you create and post a job advertisement, but also how much attention you pay to details. Make someone have a good opinion of your company, before his job interview.

Candidate Experience is also taking care of current and newly-minted employees. The process of implementation and helping them to become acclimatized, will make them feel more confident and encourage them to take the initiative.

If you want to know how we responded to the changes and faced them, you should necessarily read the interview with RICG founder - Paulina Łaczek-Ciećwierz.

Link to the interview: https://ricg.eu/blog/b/57/zmiany-otwieraja-nowe-drzwi-i-jak-w-kazdym-kryzysie-beda-wygrani-i-przegrani