7 Recruiting Hacks to Improve Your Candidates' Experience
Over 60% of job candidates will share a negative candidate experience with their friends and family according to Talent Board.
And 35% will share it publicly online.
At AutoGrow, we typically only select the top 2-3% of applicants that apply to work with us. And in doing so, we’re rejecting the vast majority of people.
But we’re always looking to optimize that 97% of people’s experience.
A positive candidate experience can persuade a talented applicant to join your virtual team.
But a negative experience can corrode your company’s reputation as easily as air and moisture tarnishes silver.
And if you're lucky enough, applicants will only tell their friends.
But if you don’t get lucky, well… they’ll tell the world and post bad reviews online (and potential customers and clients could see those too)...
So in order to keep candidates from losing interest in your hiring system, you must provide a great first impression.
That’s why today I’ll tell you:
- Why your current approach to hiring may be wrong.
- The best 7 recruiting hacks to improve your candidate’s experience throughout your hiring funnel.
- And why if your recruiting process is frustrating for candidates, they’ll simply drop out of the process all together (and how to avoid it).
To begin with, did you know that 60% of job seekers will quit in the middle of filling out your online job applications because of this reason?...
Recruiting Hack #1: Make It Easy for Candidates to Apply for Your Job Positions
That’s right, 60% of applicants could drop out your recruiting process just because the application and process are too complex or long according to Recruiterbox.
So your goal in your hiring funnel is to get applicants not only interested in your job openings. But also in your hiring process in general.
For instance, make it easy for candidates to apply for any job position.
Keep the application process for your job positions simple.
In fact, 53% of applicants want job descriptions to be described as clearly as possible according to CareerBuilder.
Avoid adding too many steps, long questionnaires to answer, or too many forms to fill out.
This will only scare applicants off.
If at the very first moment they enter your hiring funnel they see obstacles and lengthy processes, they likely won’t continue down that path.
For one thing, make sure your career pages or “We’re Hiring” CTAs aren’t buried in sections of your landing pages that no one will ever see.
Take a quick glance at where we advertise our job openings across our website…
Right on our footer across our website:
And we even have a dedicated landing page where applicants can learn more about each job position and apply in one click.
Trust me, candidates will appreciate it if you make it easy for them to find a way to apply for the job position.
And of course, making it easy for candidates to apply for your job doesn’t end here.
It’s not only about making the job ad visible. It’s also about making it a smooth process to go through.
For instance, give clear guidelines about what the next steps are once they click the “Apply” button.
Long, complicated application instructions confuse and turn off candidates.
So to avoid candidates dropping out of your application process without even completing it, provide them with clear instructions and any requirements they’ll need to submit during the process.
And in the same way you need to reduce friction in your sales funnel (one of the 11 Laws of Sales Funnel Physics), you need to follow this same principle in your hiring funnel.
Forget about requiring passwords to log in—especially if they have strict rules for adding symbols, capital letters, hashtags, numbers... (you know what I’m talking about).
Instead, do your candidates a favor and let them apply without having to log in to anything for a better candidate experience.
With that being said, let’s move to the next best practice or recruiting hack.
Recruiting Hack #2: Don’t Be Robotic—No One Likes a Robotic Interaction or Communication
Nowadays most companies have automated messages, email automation, and chatbots taking care of the communication with customers and clients.
In fact, nearly 1 in 4 service organizations already use chatbots to address customer service concerns.
And almost 1 in 3 service organizations who don’t use chatbots now plan to incorporate them into their business in the next 17 months. This according to Salesforce.
And as these trends rise, people still prefer personalized services and communications.
I mean, who doesn’t?
91% of consumers are actually more likely to shop with brands who provide relevant offers and recommendations according to Accenture.
And the same thing happens with your applicants.
They want to be treated as humans and not be part of a 100% robotic communication.
Trust me.
Nowadays recruiters must borrow a page from marketers who have a better understanding of how to establish a brand and create empathy and trust with customers.
You can do so by adding some human touch to your communication with applicants throughout the whole hiring process.
Sure, automated communication is a very effective tactic. Especially if you’re looking to automate your processes.
But in the end, you’re still dealing with people and they want to be treated as such.
So if you’re looking to attract candidates who enjoy the hiring process experience and are looking to be part of your team, make sure you don’t act too robotic.
For instance, try to customize your emails or messages after applicants complete each stage of the process.
Use a friendly and conversational tone too. They might notice when a message you send them is just a plain automated message.
Simply make applicants feel excited to continue down your funnel.
Avoid the typical “Thank You for Your Submission” boring message.
Alright. Now that you know how to not be robotic, let’s jump ahead to the next recruiting hack to make your candidates' experience memorable.
Recruiting Hack #3: Thank and/or Congratulate Applicants at Each Stage of Your Hiring Process
Thanking applicants as they move into the next stages of your hiring funnel will not only be something polite or nice to do.
It will also be something that’ll help create a better connection with them and nurture the relationship.
You see, the same way you thank and/or congratulate prospects as they move down your sales funnel with landing pages like these…
...You’re also looking to nurture the relationship with applicants.
Why?
Because you’re reassuring and acknowledging whatever action they take throughout your hiring process.
You want them to become interested in your company and hopefully convert them into new hires.
You’re showing them that you care about them applying for your job position. You’re showing them you appreciate them scheduling an interview with your hiring manager.
It’s exactly the same process you follow in marketing when you build your sales funnel.
And by the way, I go more in depth in that in our 6-Figure Sales Funnel Training.
So make sure you thak applicants right after they complete or take any action in your hiring funnel.
Recruiting Hack #4: Be Open to Giving (& Receiving) Feedback—Simply Embrace Constructive Criticism(!)
Your candidate’s experience matters.
You might have the wrong mindset if your approach to hiring is “employers matter the most.”
Applicants look to have a pleasant and enjoyable experience as they move down your hiring process.
In fact, 82% of hiring managers say the employee experience is very or extremely important according to CareerBuilder.
And the same way you can use your users’ feedback to grow your sales, you can do it to strengthen your hiring funnel.
In our case, our users’ feedback helped us grow our sales by 71 %.
You see, in order to improve any areas of your business, you need to be open to feedback.
You need to be open to hearing what someone else has to say about your organization and processes. You need to be open to hearing what people simply like and don’t like about your business.
According to LinkedIn, 79.2% of companies ask candidates for feedback about their experience at some point during the hiring process.
And that’s basically the best way to improve and grow.
And that’s why we actually ask for our clients’ feedback all the time.
We’re always looking to get better and better.
And in that same vein, your applicants also want to get better.
Especially if there’s a good chance they’ll be hired by your company.
For instance, be open to giving feedback to applicants throughout your hiring process.
Just because you dismiss them doesn’t mean you shouldn’t share your thoughts or constructive feedback.
Constructive feedback will help them improve. Plus, it could actually be a good indicator on how they take your feedback.
Because, would you want to work with someone who’s not willing to take feedback and improve?
Surely not.
You see, some companies are actually not willing to give feedback for fear of legal issues or just because they don’t want to invest more time on a candidate.
But the truth is, as long as your feedback is constructive, your applicants would appreciate specific information about where they “failed” in their application.
So go ahead and ask applicants to fill out a short survey about the overall process or ask for any particular areas you want to improve.
And now that you know you should take constructive feedback to heart and that your hiring process should constantly be improving with feedback from candidates, let’s review the next recruiting hack.
Recruiting Hack #5: Maintain Crystal Clear Communication & Update Applicants Throughout the Entire Process (Even If You’re No Longer Considering Hiring Them)
I’ve listed in the past this recruiting hack as an important tip when recruiting virtual employees.
And it’s a critical tip on making your candidates’ experience as smooth as possible.
You see, applicants are looking for you to keep them updated about the progress of their application.
They want to know if they moved from one step to the other and what actions to take.
Maintaining clear communication throughout your hiring process is simply key in keeping applicants engaged.
In fact, according to CareerBuilder, 81% of job seekers say they’d want employers to communicate status or updates.
But after completing an application, 55.1% of job seekers have indicated they were rarely or never updated about their status in the hiring process.
That sucks...
And an additional 32.3% said it was only sometimes according to Talentegy.
And all that comes down to 63% of job seekers being dissatisfied with the lack of communication throughout the application process.
So what can you really do to improve communication with applicants?
Simple.
Keep your applicants updated about the process of their application.
Let them know if you already made a decision (even if it’s not hiring them).
They deserve knowing what to expect.
In fact, 80% of job seekers say they would be discouraged from considering other relevant job openings at a company that failed to notify them of their application status according to Lever.
So don’t waste this opportunity to make your candidate experience a great one by keeping them updated in your hiring decisions.
Even if you disqualify them, they'll appreciate you informing them about the decision and might consider reapplying in the future.
Recruiting Hack #6: Be Punctual for the Interview or Call (Don’t Mess Around With Your Applicants’ Time)
Even if you’re interviewing applicants through a call or video call, don’t let them wait for you.
You’ve probably been there too. Sitting alone in a waiting room for hours hoping that the hiring manager will be “free” and finally get your interview started.
And if you’re lucky enough, applicants will be patient and wait for you to start the interview.
But if you’re not that lucky, candidates might drop off the application and you’d be losing a potential good hire.
For instance don’t make a candidate awkwardly sit in front of their computer for too long.
Be punctual. Show up on time for the call with them.
If for some reason you need to reschedule the interview, that’s fine but don’t mess around with applicants’ time.
Something we've done and has worked for us is that we have tested for crazy people.
I know it sounds crazy but we’ve actually pushed back the call time to see how applicants react.
Recruiting Hack #7: Always Be Professional, Respectful, & Empathetic (Don’t Be Intimidating & Here’s Why...)
You are not the only one evaluating someone in your hiring process.
Your applicants are also evaluating you.
They’re looking for things they may like or dislike about you or your company.
The way you treat your applicants can have a huge impact on their decisions.
In fact, according to CareerBuilder, 48% of candidates say the employment screening process has an impact on how favorably they view a potential employer.
This means you have to always, no matter what, be professional, respectful, and empathetic.
Don’t mix personal stuff with mainly professional topics.
Sure, you can ask candidates certain things about their personality, but don’t try to dig too much into their personal lives.
Also, don’t try to be too intimidating because you could end up scaring them off.
If you don’t adopt a professional behavior, over 60% of job candidates could share a negative candidate experience with their friends and family according to Talent Board.
And 35% could even share it publicly online in job posting sites like Glassdoor.
This according to the 2018 Talent Board North American Candidate Experience Research Report.
So remember, if you don’t provide a great experience for your candidates throughout your hiring funnel, 69% of those applicants would rarely or never reapply.
And of course, if you want to avoid all the hiring hassles, AutoGrow is the solution for you.
We can take all of your digital marketing tasks off your plate and you don’t have to worry about hiring any single team member.
We take care of everything.
Conclusion
A positive candidate experience can make potential hires want to join your virtual team.
But a negative experience can hurt your company’s reputation.
Because if an applicant goes through a not-so-enjoyable hiring process, well, they will share the bad news with the online world.
To avoid getting potential bad reviews about your company, follow these 7 best practices or recruiting hacks to improve your candidate’s experience throughout your hiring funnel.
Here they are one more time:
- Recruiting Hack #1: Make It Easy for Candidates to Apply for Your Job Positions
- Recruiting Hack #2: Don’t Be Robotic—No One Likes a Robotic Interaction or Communication
- Recruiting Hack #3: Thank and/or Congratulate Applicants at Each Stage of Your Hiring Process
- Recruiting Hack #4: Be Open to Giving (& Receiving) Feedback—Simply Embrace Constructive Feedback(!)
- Recruiting Hack #5: Maintain Crystal Clear Communication & Update Applicants Throughout the Entire Process (Even If You’re No Longer Considering Hiring Them)
- Recruiting Hack #6: Be Punctual for the Interview or Call (Don’t Mess Around With Your Applicants’ Time)
- Recruiting Hack #7: Always Be Professional, Respectful, & Empathetic (Don’t Force the Intimidation Tactic & Here’s Why...)
Now tell me something, what’s your hiring process like? Have you ever made your applicants go through an enjoyable hiring process?
Let me know in the comments below.
Keep AutoGrowin’, stay focused.
