Recruiting the best talent is the cornerstone of business success. However, the importance of the experience candidates have during the hiring process is often overlooked. A poor candidate experience can lead to resentment towards a company, resulting in bad reviews, lost referrals, and even revenue loss. However, there is one seemingly untapped source of data that companies and recruiters are discovering, which we’ve really been missing out on – candidate experience data. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of candidate experience data, how to implement candidate experience surveys, and the benefits of analyzing candidate feedback.
Understanding Candidate Experience
A negative experience during recruitment can turn a potential candidate into a detractor. Candidates who are frustrated with the recruitment process tend to express their dissatisfaction on public platforms such as career websites or Glassdoor. Additionally, if a candidate is unhappy with their experience, they are unlikely to recommend the company to their peers. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what constitutes a poor candidate experience and make efforts to improve it.
Implementing Candidate Experience Surveys
One way to better understand candidates’ experiences and lessen any resentment is by implementing candidate experience surveys. These surveys should be designed to capture data from the beginning to the end of the recruitment process. By collecting feedback from candidates, recruiters will have real-time data enabling them to make improvements and innovate for future hiring cycles. Furthermore, a candidate experience survey can determine where candidates became disengaged and why, allowing recruiters to take action and remedy the situation.
Benefits of Analyzing Candidate Feedback
Often, relying on instinct and intuition is not enough when deciding where to focus recruitment efforts. Analyzing candidate feedback in the form of survey data can help hiring teams and recruiters make more informed decisions. The survey data can be used to pinpoint pain points, optimize the recruitment process, and focus on the most significant strategic areas to improve, saving time and reducing recruitment expenses.
Refining the Hiring Process
It is important to use data before, during, and after the recruitment process. Additionally, gathering feedback from candidates offers valuable insights into the bottlenecks and pain points that result in talent ghosting or rejecting job offers. This collection of information can be utilized to refine the hiring process and enhance the candidate experience. HR teams can use this information to keep candidates engaged, address recruitment and candidate issues before they escalate, and save time and costs associated with losing qualified talent.
Recruiters and Candidate Surveys
For recruiters, survey data can be immensely helpful as a check-in. Using candidate surveys to understand candidate experiences is essential. Open-ended questions should be utilized throughout the process to allow recruiters the chance to address issues at the source.
Understanding how candidates view a business can provide an opportunity for the company to rectify situations and protect brand reputation. In addition, knowing what candidates are thinking can be an indicator of where the employer brand stands. By surveying candidates, the company can gain insights into where it’s doing well and where it needs improvement. Furthermore, allowing them to give feedback directly gives companies a chance to rectify the situation privately.
