Investing in your candidate experience will up your employer branding. Get one right and the other will follow.
Your reputation precedes you
“For an organization to recruit effectively, its brand needs to be known and understood.” – Edward E. Lawler III & Christopher G. Worley
To attract top talent, you need strong employer branding. In fact, 86% of women and 67% of men said they wouldn’t even think about applying for a job at a company with a negative reputation.
The recruitment department could well be the first contact a candidate has with your company brand. A poor impression could have lasting consequences, so they need to give potential candidates a great experience, right from the start.
Also think about how your company presents itself as an employer in other spheres – including how you respond to online employer reviews and social media feedback.
The impact of a bad candidate experience
Bad candidate experiences are expensive because they drive away qualified prospects and can harm your employer brand.
According to research, 60% of applicants will abandon the recruitment process if it’s too complex and stressful. Alongside that, 65% of candidates say that a bad interview experience makes them lose interest in the job – and an alienated candidate might easily take their gripes to social media.
But the story doesn’t end there. Job prospects who have a bad interaction with a prospective employer are unlikely to buy goods or services them. Dissatisfied applicants turn into unhappy customers.
Give every candidate a positive experience
“If the reputation of a company’s products and services is its face, the talent brand is its heart and soul” – Hank Stringer & Rusty Rueff
It’s crucial that your applicants, whether they go on to work for you or not, come away from the process having had a positive experience.
That means getting back to them promptly to make an offer (or not), giving timely feedback if requested, and treating them with respect.
People talk and negative social media comments about the way you treat candidates and employees can impact your bottom line. According to Careerarc, 64% of consumers have stopped purchasing a brand after hearing news of that company’s poor employee treatment.
It is vital that your whole company, including the recruitment team, comes together to safeguard your employer brand. Review your recruitment process, maintain positive candidate and customer relations, and be respectful of candidates’ time and efforts. Because one happy candidate can open the door to even more great talent.
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Our talent acquisition professionals work seamlessly alongside your internal team, giving candidates a smooth and positive experience – which explains why we have a 98% candidate satisfaction rate.