Eight Steps to Enhance the Candidate Experience
Trying to attract top talent to your organization? Great, so is everyone else! That’s why a competitive salary and attractive benefits package is so important, but it’s just a start. Creating a positive experience for candidates is an often overlooked — and underutilized component — of the executive search process. Just like organizations are interviewing candidates, those same candidates are simultaneously interviewing the organization to see if it’s a good fit for them from both a career and cultural perspective.
Therefore, it’s essential that organizations make a positive and lasting impression on candidates, especially those they have identified as having the skills, attributes and experience to be their next great leader. After all, feeling valued and respected throughout the search process sets everyone off on the right foot. Let’s look at eight simple steps you can take to ensure top-tier candidates will be just as impressed by you as you are by them:
- Communication: Clear and consistent communication throughout the search process is key to a positive candidate experience. Providing regular updates on the status of the search and responding to candidate inquiries in a timely manner builds trust and respect. Be clear about the time commitment required for each stage of the process.
- Transparency: Being forthcoming about the search process and expectations helps candidates feel more comfortable and engaged in the process. This includes sharing pertinent details about the organization, job requirements and compensation package as well as the organization’s culture, values, and expectations.
- Respect: Treating candidates with respect and professionalism throughout the search process is a must. This is especially true of their time. Be punctual and follow through regardless of whether or not they are ultimately selected for the role; that candidate can become a great advocate for your organization and may be a future candidate down the road.
- Personalization: Tailoring the search process to meet the individual needs and preferences of candidates can help create a more positive experience. This includes factors like scheduling flexibility and personalized communication.
- Feedback: Providing timely and constructive feedback to candidates helps them feel valued while improving their overall experience. This includes feedback on interview performance or ways they can improve their candidacy for future opportunities.
- Follow-up: Following up with candidates after the search process is complete — regardless of whether or not they were selected for the role — is essential in maintaining a positive image for the organization and building relationships for future opportunities. This includes thanking them for their time and interest in the role.
- Preparation: BroadView Talent Partners subscribes to the timeless philosophy that “Prior preparation prevents poor performance.” Prior to every touchpoint with a client, we conduct a prep session for each candidate. This helps to instill best practices and reduce nervous energy for max performance in an interview.
- Protection: You cannot survive or thrive unless you preserve and protect candidate confidentiality within the search process. Because the executive search process serves to attract and engage the best passive executives in the marketplace, they don’t have to leave their current position. They respond however because they recognize an opportunity and value proposition that intrigues them. Break that confidentiality, and you break trust.
Ultimately, we know and hold sacred the fundamental understanding that candidates not only have choices but also great current employment that they cannot afford to compromise due to indiscretions and confidentiality breaches. Creating a positive experience for candidates during the executive search process requires a commitment to confidentiality, as well as communication, respect, and transparency. Ultimately, nurturing a positive candidate experience helps organizations build a positive reputation, attract top talent for current and future opportunities and foster long-standing relationships.