#Nextchat: The Candidate Experience

The job posting was inaccurate, the online application process malfunctioned, the receptionist was rude, the interviewer was 45 minutes late and the recruiter never communicated that you didn’t get the job.  You’re glad you didn’t get the job, and you relay your horrible experience via Facebook, Twitter and Glassdoor in an effort to warn others. 

In an era of almost total transparency through social media, organizations are learning that negative candidate experiences can repel the best talent and inflict significant damage to their reputation. The candidate experience is a direct reflection of an employer’s brand and culture, and the smartest organizations are redirecting -- if not adding -- resources to ensure a positive experience.  

Most companies view the candidate experience as the phase that occurs from the initial contact to the final interview. 

Congratulations on finding the perfect fit, but what about the other six candidates who are waiting to hear something … anything?  

A job search can be a stressful and discouraging process.  Post-interview communication – even in the form of a simple email – goes a long way in winning the respect of unsuccessful candidates and building a better reputation. 

Current employees and the opinions they share through social media can also have enormous impact on the candidate experience. What are your employee’s posting?

It’s naïve to think that competition for jobs makes the candidate experience irrelevant, and that if job seekers need a job badly enough, they’ll dismiss a negative encounter.  The best know their worth and will be highly selective in their next move.  The selection process goes both ways -- especially for the most valuable candidates.  

Take a closer look at your organization’s process.  Is there room for improvement?

Are you selling jobs, or are you selling your culture and the experience?

Please join @weknownext at 3 p.m. ET on May 22 for #Nextchat with Rachelle Falls (@CorporateHRGirl).  We’ll chat about how the candidate experience has become critical to positive employer branding and winning the best talent.

Q1. How does the candidate experience affect the employer’s brand?

Q2. What are the most important elements of the candidate experience and why?

Q3. How can organizations use social media to positively affect the candidate experience?

Q4. What are some creative and engaging ways to drive candidates to your career sites?

Q5. On a scale of 1-10 how important is post-interview communication to unsuccessful candidates?  Why?

Q6. How can current employees affect the candidate experience for the better or worse?

Q7. Do Gen Y expectations differ from Gen X or Boomers and should companies adapt the candidate experience for each group? 

Q8. What are the best ways to gauge external opinions of your candidate experience/employer brand?