How Can Candidate Experience Make or Break Your Employer Brand?

More than ever, companies today need to address reviews and adapt in focusing on positive candidate experience in order to attract and keep quality talent. Companies that are slow to adjust to the exponential growth of the online market will likely not last in today’s social media world.

From the very first interaction through the job ads, the interview experience, on-boarding, training, to on-the-job and beyond – candidate experience or employee experience never really ends its 24/7. The personal connections and positive interactions a recruiter or hiring manager has on a candidate during the interview (regardless if they get the job or not) can turn out to be productive if not today then tomorrow. You never know! These candidates could come back with referrals or even become future clients and customers.

[bctt tweet=”The past ways of ignoring or glossing over negative reviews will not only drive away good candidates from applying but also break your brand image than build it.” username=”myaptask”]

Addressing the Communication Gap

• What recruiters need today is a way to create more touch points to build a true experience. So many recruiters today are focused on providing quantity versus quality talent. Before shortlisting a candidate for the interview due diligence needs to be exercised by the HR personnel to avoid wasting both money, time, and effort. Quality hires always before quantity hires.
• Candidates see an interview as an opportunity to know their employers. I feel that HR reps have a very important role to play here. They represent the organization and are also the first and only point of contact throughout the process. So, the way they treat candidates during and after the interview can truly build or destroy an employer’s brand.
• Take the time to get feedback from the candidates about the interview process. Ask them about their expectations. Tell them by what time frame they should expect a call or email regarding the job interview.
• Maintain a positive employer brand online especially on sites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn. I agree, not all employees will report as being content at their job. Some reviews and ratings may be despicable. But as an employer, you should be reply and not ignore them.

If you ask me candidate experience starts when a prospective candidate browses through or researches about a company and is an ongoing process that never ends. Hence, companies today need a compelling branding strategy in place to retain and win the best talent available out there.