Candidate Experience: ten tips for a better experience - part 2

Published1 Sep ’22

Part 2: How to create a positive candidate experience? Five extra tips that you can put into practice immediately.

In Candidate Experience: ten tips for a better experience - part 1 we listed five tips that can positively influence the experience of a candidate. Authenticity, honesty and clarity are key factors in this. Today we share five new candidate experience tips. Use them to your advantage!

6. During the interview

During the interview the applicant gets a much better understanding and impression of your organisation. For online and live interviews counts: use all your senses. What does the applicant experience? Is everything clean? How is the atmosphere? Is the receptionist friendly? Are the employees friendly? Or in case of an online interview, are all the technical tools working? All these things determine the candidate experience. Whatever the circumstances, rehearse the interview. This is a great way to remove some distracting factors. And of course, we have the interview itself. Be on time, take your time and make the candidate feel comfortable. Show that you have seriously examined the application, even when you have many interviews planned. It is a real let down if you use the wrong name or ask a question about someone else’s motivation letter or CV.

7. Reply promptly and stay in touch

Reply promptly to any questions and stay in touch. The candidate needs some confirmation that this job is their best option, that they are taken seriously and being seen. Waiting increases insecurity and can lead to frustration. So always make sure to communicate promptly. Is the process taking longer? Get in touch with the candidate more often, send an e-mail or make a call when you are in the interview stage.

8. Use personalised rejections

Use personalised rejections. Is the applicant not invited for an interview? Do not use the infamous sentence that other candidates fit the profile better. Give some individual feedback and offer the possibility of asking questions. If you are forced to use a standard mailing because of time limits or the number of applicants: clearly state what the determining factors were for selecting the candidates. Most applicants understand why they have not been selected. Have you already interviewed the candidate? Do not send a rejection letter or email, but make a phone call. Take the time for this call and only finish it when all questions have been answered.

9. Ask for feedback on the application procedure

Ask applicants and new employees for feedback on the application procedure. Is it user friendly? Many times, you have a blind spot and are used to the way the applications are handled. This prevents you from seeing possible flaws. So add a feedback loop to your application procedure and the input will allow you to improve the process.

10. Create a Candidate Journey

To improve the candidate experience, it is useful to create a Candidate Journey. This is the journey that the applicant makes from the first contact until the first day at work. You will map all contact moments, which you can compare to the candidate’s feelings and questions in different stages. Are you taking these emotions into account and do you answer all the questions that they may have in each stage? Once you have finished the candidate journey, you can use it to improve the candidate experience.

So there are plenty options to improve the candidate experience! Our previous blog posts can also lead you in the right direction: 5 Tips for writing great job advertisements, Know your target audience, create a candidate persona and How to stay in touch with your remote employees. Enjoy and good luck!