{"id":22922,"date":"2013-09-16T09:11:18","date_gmt":"2013-09-16T16:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/?p=22922"},"modified":"2017-10-17T09:57:31","modified_gmt":"2017-10-17T16:57:31","slug":"5-steps-to-creating-a-great-candidate-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-creating-a-great-candidate-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps to Creating a Great Candidate Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your hiring process is what the candidate experiences<\/a>. For most candidates the hiring process is their first impression of a company, and as we all know – you can\u2019t make a first impression twice. The candidate experience is based on how the candidate reacts to each step of the process, so how can you ensure you\u2019ve created the best environment for an amazing candidate experience?<\/p>\n

Follow These 5 Steps:<\/h1>\n

Be Social.<\/h1>\n

1. First of all, creating a Candidate Experience<\/a> should begin even before the candidate knows they\u2019re applying. Employer branding is the foundation of your candidate experience. This means your company has strategized and is committed to creating transparency<\/a> between the office and the public. You\u2019ve found creative ways to tell your company story and mission, and employees are dedicated to sharing the details of your great workplace. You\u2019ve made an effort to be visible on social media, and you\u2019re committed to responding to your fans and soon to be candidates.<\/p>\n

Be Inviting.<\/h1>\n

2. An awesome careers page<\/a> filled with awesome job ads. If a candidate has made it to your careers page, they\u2019re interested. If they\u2019re viewing your job ad they\u2019re invested. The last thing you want to do is turn them off with a boring page that tells them nothing about your company and the people they will be working with. Use job ads as an opportunity to market your company culture, and the details of the jobs. Job ads<\/a> and branded careers pages<\/a> are the introduction to your company as an employer, create something as dynamic as your business and something you can be proud of.<\/p>\n

Be Efficient.<\/h1>\n

3. Make it as easy to apply as possible. If you\u2019ve gone through all the trouble of creating a positive employer brand, you\u2019ve made an amazing careers page (using the SmartRecruiters\u2019 widget<\/a>, of course), and you\u2019ve created the most appealing job ad ever – then why lose a candidate with an hour long application<\/a> process that makes them repeat the same information over and over, again? Let\u2019s face it. The best candidates are not going to spend more than 10 minutes filling out an application, and why should they? They have options. Which you won\u2019t have if you scare off qualified candidates with a lame application process. Applying to a job should be as easy as one-click<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Be Thoughtful.<\/h1>\n

4. Respond to all candidates<\/a> regardless of the fact of them getting an interview or not. Far too many candidates go unanswered, and you know what people think of companies that don\u2019t take the time to respond? They hate them. I know I do. In the past, I\u2019ve literally stopped buying their product because I did not get any acknowledgement of the fact I had applied. Candidates deserve to know the status of their application. They\u2019ve taken the time to apply, and follow-up. You can take the time to give a simple yes or no (PS it\u2019s simple because we\u2019ve made it simple.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Be Awesome.<\/h1>\n

5. Last but not least, send a great job offer.<\/a>\u00a0It\u2019s kind of like asking a candidate for their hand in marriage so it has to be good. Let the candidate know as their employer you\u2019re here to support them. Accepting a job offer is not just about the money, it\u2019s about the mission of the company and the hopes of the candidate. To ensure a candidate will say yes, emphasize how your company can help them achieve their personal goals, career goals, and professional goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your perception is your reality. If you create a great candidate experience, whether the candidate gets the job or not they will always perceive you as an employer worth working for, worth buying from, or applying to again in the future. It\u2019s not just the candidate that needs to put their best foot forward, it\u2019s you too. The last thing you want is a candidate going around telling everyone they know how horribly they were treated as a candidate; we all know what that can do for a reputation. As easy and tempting as it is to think the candidate is the only one with something to prove, it\u2019s just not the case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your hiring process is what the candidate experiences. For most candidates the hiring process is their first impression of a company, and as we all know – you can\u2019t make a first impression twice. The candidate experience is based on how the candidate reacts to each step of the process, so how can you ensure […]","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":""},"categories":[838],"tags":[74,262],"series":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Podcast-icon.jpg","download_link":false,"player_link":false,"audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/hiring-success-podcast\/id1472174987","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9oaXJpbmdzdWNjZXNzcG9kY2FzdC5jYXN0b3MuY29tL2hpcmluZy1zdWNjZXNzLXBvZGNhc3Q","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"soundcloud":{"key":"soundcloud","url":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/smartrecruiters\/sets\/hiring-success-podcast-1","label":"SoundCloud","class":"soundcloud","icon":"soundcloud.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3bM8YzLjM2G9qJXLBBySaB","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast","embedCode":"

5 Steps to Creating a Great Candidate Experience<\/a><\/blockquote>