hiring hacks: the 6 elements of a game-changing candidate experience
TRANSCRIPT
GREENHOUSE + THE MUSE + TALENT BOARD
The 6 Elements of a Game-Changing Candidate Experience
GREENHOUSE + SQUARESPACE #HIRINGHACKS
Today’s Moderator
Casey Marshall Greenhouse
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GREENHOUSE + SQUARESPACE
reenhouse • Greenhouse is an end-to-end solution that optimizes your entire recruiting process• Talent is critical for building
outstanding companies• World-class recruiting requires
focused effort across your entire organization
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GREENHOUSE + SQUARESPACE
Hiring Hacks • Each webinar in the series focuses on strategies and tools that help measurably improve the recruiting process
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● What data is essential to track when measuring your candidate experience
● When is the right time to conduct candidate surveys
● Ways to enhance your employer brand
● The potential business impact of candidate experience
Today’s Agenda
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Speaker Highlight
Kevin GrossmanVP, Talent Board
linkedin.com/in/kevinwgrossman
Lauren RobertsManager of Talent Acquisition, The Muse
linkedin.com/in/laurentroberts
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GREENHOUSE + SQUARESPACE #HIRINGHACKS
• 5M+ unique visitors come to The Muse each month for career advice
• We help companies get in front of this audience by creating a profile with office photos and employee videos that help share their employer brand
• Follow us on Twitter: @dailymuse
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• Nonprofit research organization founded in 2011 and focused on elevating and promoting a positive candidate experience
• Nearly 400 companies and over 220,000 job candidates participating in our global 2016 candidate experience research
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheCandEs
The 6 Elements
• It still takes 30-60+ minutes to complete online applications
• It’s not a consistent experience for candidates from desktop to mobile
• Candidates have no idea what the next steps will be post application
• No opportunity to give the employer feedback on the process
Challenge #1
The Application Process
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Too many candidates have no idea of what to expect during the application process and either unrealistic timelines are given to them by the employers -- or none at all. And 47% of candidates go 2+ months without any response from employers once they’ve applied.
Companies still try to emulate the old-school paper application via their career sites and online applications -- like they’re trying to capture everything up front on the job applicants. While some of that may help self-select some candidates out, more than likely many qualified candidates will jump ship because of the cumbersome process.
• Employers should go through their own application process to see exactly what it’s like and what works and what doesn’t
• Candidates should know exactly how long the application should take and what to expect post-application
• Ask candidates what else they’d like to share that wasn’t asked in the application
Solution:
The Application Process
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• Help candidates feel prepared and comfortable going through your process
• Eliminate disorganization and confusion for the candidate and internal hiring teams
• Make candidates feel respected
Challenge #2
Structured Interviewing
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...And now you're hesitating to make a hiring decision because you don't have enough information to move forward. You lose that momentum you thought you gained by skipping some really important steps.
The alternative: you post the JD and immediately start vetting the applications. Maybe you talk to the first few people you meet, but without a plan, you keep having conversational interviews that don't yield results, and feedback that only covers how much you like the candidate...
• Hiring manager kickoff • Scorecard • Interview committee selection• Intentional interview process• Prep the internal team• Learn as you go
Solution:
Structured Interviewing
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• Candidate experience has a huge effect on employer brand: make sure to treat everyone with respect!
• Be honest in how you present your employer brand: live up to promises that you make to prospective candidates
• Be authentically yourself: you don’t have to present a false story to attract the right people
Challenge #3
Employer Brand
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...You want people to join your company who are excited about that environment that you have today, vs being attracted to perks! Being true to who you are attracts people who share your values.
"I'm not sure if now's the right time: we're small, and don't really have a cool office, I don't think we're ready to share that with the world, until we get where we want to be."
• Align HR/ Talent Acquisition/ Marketing to make sure the brand matches the candidate and employee experience
• Make sure expectations are realistic and aligned
• Start this process at any size!
Solution:
Employer Brand
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• Easy to get overwhelmed, especially if you’re getting hundreds of applications
• The urge might be to only get back to the best people
• Responding to everyone is important: be empathetic to your candidates.
• Give people feedback: it's part of the job & it's important to give people feedback, even when it's not what they want to hear
Challenge #4
Responsiveness
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• Share the interview process at the end of the phone screen
• Compare timelines to get on the same page
• Give feedback, even when it’s hard to do
• Prepare the candidate so they can shine
Solution:
Responsiveness
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• Ensuring the time between final interview and verbal/written offer is within 1-2 weeks
• Getting new hire paperwork done in a timely fashion so they can get to work
• Having hiring managers contact new hires before they start working and asking for feedback
Challenge #5
The Offer and Onboarding
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• Invest in an onboarding solution or make sure your ATS and/or background screening provider has an onboarding module
• Be timely with making offers to finalists to stay competitive
• Ask for feedback, offer feedback and communicate often with new hires (and even silver medalists)
Solution:
The Offer and Onboarding
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• Candidates continue to share positive and negative experiences with their inner circles and via social media
• Candidates who have an overall poor recruiting experience are more likely to never apply again or refer
• Candidates who have an overall poor recruiting experience are more likely to not make direct purchases from consumer-based businesses
Challenge #6
The Business Impact
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On average 41% of tens of thousands of candidates globally who believe they have had a “negative” overall 1-star job seeker experience (based on a 1-5 Likert Scale rating) say they will definitely take their alliance, product purchases and relationship somewhere else. On the other hand, 64% say they’ll definitely increase their employer relationships based on the very positive job seeker experiences they’ve had.
Many talent acquisition professionals complain that there’s no way they can “touch” every single candidate with a positive affirmation, much less acknowledge their interest in the company or giving them closure when they’re not selected.
• Employers should keep on ongoing pulse of how candidates rate the recruiting experience from pre-application to onboarding
• Employers should measure NPS scores on candidates’ willingness to apply again and refer others based on their experience
• B2C and B2B employers should quantify the potential business impact to make the case to improve
Solution:
The Business Impact
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Q&A