Want to be an effective leader in recruiting?
Being at the front of the recruiting race starts with what you bring to the candidate experience. The personal touches and style you put into the process are what will make you stand out to candidates, clients, and your fellow recruiters.
Here’s how to boost your candidate experience and become the leader you’ve always wanted to be!
- Be Transparent
SET. CLEAR. EXPECTATIONS. Be open about time frames and anything the candidate process may require (to your discretion, of course). This not only answers your talents’ questions and gives you inside access to their greatest concerns, but it also eases the stress they may be facing. Be honest about any doubts you have, any actions or reasons why the position may not work out, and encourage your talent to do the same. Ensure that you are having open and straightforward exchanges with clear set expectations–that’s rule numero uno when boosting your rep with talent.
2. Be an Interview Yoda
Interviews can be the scariest part of the job search process for talent. How do you combat their nerves? The answer: change up the way you get your candidate ready for their interviews. Whether it’s a phone or an on-site interview, prepping or coaching your talent helps them determine their strategy for the interview and makes a world of difference. Taking time out to give an applicant a pep-talk and walk through practice questions (supplied by your friend, the hiring manager) builds confidence for your talent, helps them focus, and lessens their anxiety and tension. Not to mention that the more prepared your candidate is the better you look as a recruiter!
3. Use All Disposable Content
The content that your client has regarding the position or the company will be your best friend. Providing visible proof of what the job entails or how the company runs will only drive home what you have presented to your candidate so far. Employer branded content aims to build relationships between companies and talent through effective storytelling, so why wouldn’t you use it? Grab a YouTube link, send it over to your talent, and just enjoy the positive effect on their experience, BOOM!
4. Give and Take Feedback
Improving your candidate experience is in direct correlation with giving feedback. Giving talent feedback, good or bad, is necessary for them to get better. Not acknowledging feedback hinders the development that your candidate may need in the future. If you don’t tell them, how will your candidates ever know what went wrong? On the other side of the coin, you have to receive and accept feedback as well. Recruiting is a two-way street and you can only improve your candidates’ experience if you improve your processes.
5. Be Ready to Communicate
It’s the simplest thing you can do: COMMUNICATE. This means being accessible to talent and having multiple conversations outside what you’re required to do. Dropping an applicant a tailored email, phone call, or even shooting a text to just check in lessens the chances of your candidate accepting another job, or moving on to another search. The key is to be more proactive rather than reactive.
6. Give Your Job Descriptions Some Pep
The purpose is to supply enough information about the role, requirements, and culture without overwhelming the candidate. Cutting back on job descriptions that are monotonous and making them catchier and easier to read will attract and engage more talent. Job descriptions should be simple, show off the brand, and remain relatable to those viewing it. A good rule of thumb is that if a template was done back on Windows 8, it definitely needs to be REVAMPED.
7. Continue to Build Candidate Relationships
Whether your candidate gets the job or not, you can’t just walk away. The mark of a true recruiter superhero is that ability to make the impossible happen, and when you continue working with a candidate after a job offer goes south, that’s exactly what you’re doing. Just because they weren’t the right fit for that position doesn’t mean they aren’t right for another position. Keeping in contact cultivates your talent pool and gives you a freshly updated network to dig into for any new jobs that may come about.
Pretty simple, right? These are just a few ideas you can apply to boost current candidate experience ratings. Being a leader is all about making a difference and an impact, especially in the booming talent industry!