Candidate experience is key to building and maintaining the employer’s branding. But more than that, it is the means to secure top talents. The new World Economic Forum’s report dictates how finding top talents will only get harder. In fact, a rising trend in the recruitment segment is that it is no longer a recruiters market. Instead, it is a job seekers market. Candidates are now selecting jobs with more awareness and consciousness of their requirements and potential. The ball is in their court. Organisations’ inability to attract the right candidates can consume both their growth as well as industry transformation. However, the employer can still benefit if they put their best game forward.
As per Spiceworks, a marketplace for tech buyers and sellers, for about 48% of candidates, the experience begins long before applying for a job. Particularly, this works both ways. As much as an outside opinion can impact the candidates’ decision, their negative experience can muddle with the employer’s branding. A positive candidate experience not only implies that the candidate will be interested in taking the job today but also in the future. They could also recommend their piers to relevant roles. A LinkedIn survey found that 78% of respondents visualise a company’s value through a candidate’s experience. It keeps getting tougher and tougher, doesn’t it?
Positive Candidate Experience
A positive experience helps candidates visualise their future and growth in the company. It is about the interaction and company appearance throughout the recruitment cycle. From attracting with referrals or job posts to sourcing and recruiting, screenings, negotiating, hiring and onboarding, every touchpoint matters. But it is more than just the impression of the company. Candidates are likely to reach out to existing employees and their friends, family and colleagues from the same industry. It further comes down to employer branding, employee satisfaction and social media presence.
Each stage of the recruitment process is important to facilitate an overall positive candidate experience. Surveys show that 72% of job seekers with a poor candidate experience share their experiences on online employer review sites. This could tremendously affect the employer’s branding in the job market and beyond. Essentially when unsuccessful candidates are four times more likely to consider the company for future positions based on the candidate’s experience.
Sourcing the Right Candidates
With the advancement in digitalisation, the most common initial point of contact between the employer and candidate is online. It could be through a social media post advertising the vacancy. Or a job listing on Monster, Glassdoor and Indeed. Perhaps, a Google ad. At this stage, the ad needs an attractive to indulge potential candidates. It must also be well-detailed regarding the role, expectations and job benefits, and easy to navigate simultaneously. 60% of them quit an application process due to it being too complex or lengthy. With the current idea of the industry, job positions and roles, the offshore recruitment team establish the key points for this ad/listing. They get the right candidates on board with their expertise. In its absence, not only does the company lose its face but also ends up with unqualified inexperienced applicants.
Before the Interview Process
The physical touchpoints begin then after with the first call of pre-interview. This call gives the organisation an edge to introduce and present themselves in the way they want and set a date and time for an interview. Notably, it takes a strong HR and TA team to shortlist applicants and host an effective interview process. Offshore recruiters often seek the advantage of the latest technologies and software to save time on going through every single application. This time could be better utilised in forming the interview structure, preparing rounds and questionnaires and keeping the candidate in the loop with the process beforehand.
During the Interview
Most organisations lose points on this round. The interview process is generally set the same for all candidates. This means that all candidates screened by the organisation in-house go through the same round of questions regardless of the job position, level or role. Offshore recruiters work to provide for varied roles in varied industries. It is an integrated feature to understand each job position as well as the companies’ expectations and customise an interview process accordingly. For instance, a Senior Software Engineer placed on the backend doesn’t need the same skills as one on the client side. Hence, to test the relevant skills, recruiters must fabricate a round of questions and assignments that weigh that. When hiring for senior positions or specialists, the in-house team often lack the knowledge of the role to do that.
After the Interview
A rising point of issue in the job market is how organisations ghost candidates after submitting the assignments. As a recruiter, it lands on their shoulders to inform the candidates of their application status. Candidates favour organisations that provide them with consistent communication and constructive feedback they can improve upon. Understandably, hiring in bulk doesn’t leave much time for the in-house team to reach out to the rejected candidates. Offshoring takes the responsibility off their quiver as there’s no direct communication between them and the candidates. Further, reference checks and negotiating contract changes with successful applicants take a great deal of time. Depending on the terms of the partnership, offshoring your recruitment needs also eliminates the training and settling process.
Find a Partner who Prioritises Candidate Experience
As the industry gets more competitive, organisations need to utilise every advantage at their disposal. With Eximious Global, they can seek end-to-end recruitment support for diverse recruitment needs. From full-time employees to remote workers across borders, we deliver qualified and skilled candidates from our pool of global candidates. We work to create a difference in today’s recruitment process and make it simpler and more efficient for both candidates and employers.
Connect with us at +44 203 813 7000 or drop and email at info@eximiousglobal.com today!
