8 things hiring managers should know about the candidate experience

If you Google “what hiring managers wish they knew about the candidate experience”, you wouldn’t find any result matching this topic. Instead, your page will be inundated with thousands of articles on what hiring managers and HR wish candidates knew about them.

That information is clearly important (no shade intended). Candidates want to know about tips to crack an interview, and how to ask the right questions, and other pressing details that recruiters want them to know. I remember doing my research more than a year ago because I needed to know those details to prepare myself and clinch the security of a steady job.

However, the lack of information regarding my query only points towards the lack of curiosity regarding candidate experiences. I believe recruiters and hiring managers should seek to learn more about job candidates and their experiences, too. That’s the stuff mutually beneficial relationships are made of.

Here are some insights that talent acquisition specialists might be interested to learn about the candidate experience:

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1. Being authentic is harder than usual

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Authenticity is a two-way street. A candidate may be presenting their authentic self at an interview, while simultaneously feeling the pressure of what recruiters want to hear from them. But do recruiters have the candidate’s best interest at heart? Are they keeping things from the candidate?

Naturally, candidates want to know as much as possible about the job and the company, and the authenticity of how these are presented is crucial. To quell doubts in the minds of candidates, trust and communication must be fostered.

Clear, frequent, and immediate communication can help in open communication. The further the communication proceeds, the more willing both parties will be open up to frank conversation and building a relationship.

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2. I thought ghosting only existed on Tinder

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“Darling you’ve got to let me know, should I stay or should I go?”

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We get it, hiring managers are probably inundated with hundreds of emails from hopeful job applicants. But candidates just want to know what the status is. Is it fair to keep them hanging or should they move on?

The lack of follow-up messages after an interview is a common complaint from job seekers about hiring managers and employers. Thankfully, the great thing about recruitment in 2021 is that this problem can be solved efficiently with an ATS. An Applicant Tracking System can streamline the entire recruitment process - and send automatic messages to job applicants to keep them in the loop.

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3. Days feel like weeks to job candidates

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Waiting for a response while on the receiving end of the line can be an exercise in patience. The difference in time between application to interview scheduling is a lengthy experience from a candidate’s perspective. Especially during Covid times, with safety norms in place, the wait period simply increases.

Hiring managers can improve the candidate experience by increasing speed to hire. With the help of video and voice interview tools, recruiters can accomplish faster hiring while improving the quality of hire.

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4. They want to know what went wrong

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It feels hard to get rejected, but rejections are a part of the candidate experience. Candidates obviously want to know what prevented them from snagging the role and often ask for feedback on what they could do to improve their chances the next time they apply.

Using recruitment solutions can help tackle this issue, too. With solutions like peopleHum, recruiters get an organized and unified view of the candidate pipeline at every stage of the recruiting process. Additionally, the ATS enables recruiters to provide feedback to candidates post-interview. Although this may sound as an ideal solution for the betterment of the applicants, it would always be practical given the time and resource constraints.

Hiring managers could still offer general guideline to candidates and offer more personalized help to the more promising ones. This can help them cultivate a talent pool for their next hires.

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5. Candidates get lost in the sea of information

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Just as recruiters get frustrated with high volume hiring, too many job opportunities make it difficult for candidates to identify the best ones. When I look back to my job hunting days, I remember spending a lot of time researching the companies I was applying to. It felt great that I had all this information to keep me prepared. But the amount of information out there barely gives candidates the time to thoroughly vet every potential employer.

You don’t want to scare away potential hires. And this is wake-up call for better employer branding. In order to help candidates efficiently identify the best companies, employers need to be consistent with the brand message. With consistent brand messaging, companies are able to set themselves apart in the sea of information and attract candidates.

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6. Mismatches can prove costly

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Things can get pretty tough for recruiters and hiring managers when they’re on a deadline to fill an open position. Mismatches can happen and candidates may end up directed to interviews that don’t match their qualifications.

Applicant Tracking Systems can significantly help in decreasing mismatches. Intelligent recruitment  tools like resume parsers automatically and accurately connects candidates to the interviews and roles that matches their qualifications.

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7. Candidates just want to stay connected

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We know how important it is to network and be in touch. Candidates want to foster long-term relationships with hiring managers and employers, in the hope that they are the first people they think of when they go looking for new hires.

Instead of not gracing them with a response despite their efforts, hiring managers could nurture these potential hires. Build a talent pool and create a candidate nurturing email campaign. Recruiters can set these emails on automation and let candidates know that they are on their minds.

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8. A bit of insight into the hiring process

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I’m not afraid to admit that interviews leave me frazzled. Preparing myself with the knowledge of the company is one way banish some of that nervousness away. But a heads up from the hiring managers themselves could be a game-changer.

Although they may not be able to disclose every information about the hiring process, a bit of guidance can do wonders to the job candidate. Information like who the interviewers are, what positions they hold, as well as some motivation to clear the interview jitters can really help job seekers.

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All organizations wish to bring in the best talent. Creating a stellar candidate experience is the way to attracting the best. Looking back at these insights into the candidate experience, the steps that hiring managers can take to improve the candidate experience are pretty simple when they stand alone. But as a rounded exercise, they can begin to look overwhelming. 

But if hiring managers clean up the process by automating the recruitment process, then creating an enriching and superior candidate experience comes quite easily. That’s why AI-driven recruitment solutions are the hiring manager’s best tool to finding and nurturing talent.

Digital recruitment solutions like peopleHum’s streamlines the hiring process from sourcing candidates that fit the job profile, to screening, interviewing, and selecting them. When the hiring workflow is scheduled and automated on point, it’s easier for hiring managers to focus their energy on building a real connection with the best candidates. By automating communication with candidates, one can create a superior recruitment experience. 

So, get the tools that ensures you have a streamlined hiring process that works for you and you candidates. Try out peopleHum’s AI-driven recruitment solution today.