Colleagues discussing recruitment

The candidate experience – putting your brand on the line

Published: 28 November 2022
Author: Recruiter On Demand
Handle recruitment badly and you won’t only miss out on the best talent. You’ll severely damage your brand with candidates, clients and customers. So how can you get it right? Because trust us, you need to.

Candidate experience and employer branding go hand-in-hand

Candidates have the power right now. Alongside a shortage of candidates, post-pandemic hybrid working is giving them more choices. Job seekers can now look beyond their geographical locale for new roles, giving them more options – and ultimately more clout. Companies need to acknowledge this and learn how to differentiate themselves as great employers.

“A great candidate experience is an excellent employer brand message for your organization. Your employer brand can make or break your chances of acquiring top talent, so it needs to be managed with intention.”

Stephen Childs, Vice President/CHRO for Panasonic Automotive, in Forbes

Ultimately, your employer branding matters.

 

What are the danger spots?

Rather, what aren’t the danger spots? You are being judged at every stage of the recruitment process, and any slip-up can damage your reputation. Any one of the following areas can leave candidates with a bad impression.

  •  Candidate ghosting: 75% of job applicants say they’ve been ghosted by a prospective employer after an interview.
  • Communication: nearly 63% of candidates report being dissatisfied with the level of communication from most employers after applying.
  • Application process: 60% of applicants will abandon the recruitment process if it’s too complex and stressful.
  • Interviews: 65% of candidates say that a bad interview experience makes them lose interest in the job.
  • Onboarding: One in ten candidates has left an employer within the first month due to a bad onboarding experience.

People like to talk

Jobseekers are becoming more discerning about who they apply to work for. In fact, 82% of job seekers consider employer brand and reputation before applying for a job – and that’s a 7% increase in the past five years. Add to the mix the fact that 72% of job seekers are likely to share their bad experiences online or with someone directly, and you have a potent argument for protecting your employer branding.

Do well, and potential candidates will know about it. Do badly, they’ll run a mile.

Poor recruitment practices can be damaging to your employer’s brand. But did you know they can also damage your business brand? After a bad job application experience, 50% of candidates will not purchase goods or services from a company. That’s a big hit to your business brand.  

The flip side is also true. Give candidates a great recruitment experience and you’ll enjoy the benefits. A strong employer brand results in a 28% reduction in turnover and a 50% reduction in cost per hire. Deliver well, and your new recruits will boost your employer branding for you. 

Why agencies aren’t the answer

Working with agencies might help to lighten your workload, but it won’t give candidates the best recruitment experience.

When you work with an agency, you’re not their only priority. They’ll be juggling different clients – and that includes different work cultures and varied role requirements. Essentially, they won’t be able to give you their uninterrupted attention, which means they can’t give you – or your candidates – an exceptional recruitment journey.

According to PwC, 72% of candidates need to understand the work culture before accepting an offer. But an agency is less likely to have the time to get to know, and communicate, the culture and individual requirements of your company and hiring managers.

You can trust us with your brand

We’re different. We’re not an agency, working at arm’s length. Our TAs embed into your company, taking the time to fully understand what you’re about and how you present yourselves. We live and breathe your culture and values, representing your brand in the very best light – just as any of your in-house team would.

And to give candidates the very best experience, we make sure we know the process inside out. Just take our work with Verifile. Their new hires are put through a thorough testing and selection process, so our own team members completed the tests themselves. That meant they could accurately describe the tests to candidates, giving them an informed and supportive recruitment experience. It’s all about the details.   

We can handle the entire recruitment process for you: sourcing candidates, producing a shortlist, screening calls, arranging interviews, and sending job offers.

From a candidate’s point of view, that means a seamless journey from application to onboarding. No bumps along the road to navigate or agency egos to contend with. We build genuine relationships with candidates from start to finish and are proud that our candidates give us a 4.8/5 satisfaction rating.

With us, your reputation is in safe hands. 
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