Treating Candidates like Customers

Employer Interviewing

Cast your mind back to the last time you applied for a job and didn’t hear back from that company. Were you under-qualified? Were you over-qualified? Perhaps you weren’t quite the right team fit? Or maybe your CV and Cover Letter wasn’t up to scratch? Time passes and you patiently wait, but there is no response. No matter the reason, these unanswered questions leave you feeling disappointed, confused, and dissatisfied. Right?

Next think about flipping this scenario around, with your roles reversed. You are the potential employer who left your applicant hanging with no response. Now imagine that they are out there sharing with their friends and family about their negative experience with you and how no update, feedback or response was given. This is not a good situation for your business to be in. Right?

Treating candidates like customers is key and we have outlined a series of recommendations to help you deliver an exceptional recruitment experience.

First Impressions
First impressions work both ways and particularly the power of first impressions is stand out for many job seekers. The very first encounter is an opportunity to build a trusting relationship with a potential employee and show them first hand the values and culture of your business. Even for those candidates who decline offers or who are unsuccessful in the process, the quality of their experience through the recruitment process is fundamental, as on the flip side negative experiences can have far-reaching consequences.

Transparency & Responsive Communication
Communication points throughout the recruitment process are critical to engage candidates and prevent them from being hired by your competition. Many companies believe that those candidates who are unsuccessful don’t need to be notified, and that if they don’t receive an update, they can only assume they were not picked for the job. This practice is unprofessional and nor is it fair on the candidate. Customers in a store would never be ignored or have their inquires unanswered, therefore, why are job seekers any different.

Candidates deserve to be acknowledged when their application has been received and updated whether they have been selected for an interview or not. For candidates who are ultimately unsuccessful, they should be advised when you have decided not to progress their application. During this time, share this feedback politely, as there is nothing worse than getting a blasé rejection email that leaves the candidate with unanswered questions, other than no response at all. Build steps into your recruitment process which allows for offering personalised feedback to rejected candidates. If an applicant doesn’t make it past a certain stage, tell them why! They’ll appreciate that you went out of your way to offer this feedback as it will help them improve and move forward on their job-searching journey.

Other key steps include offering honest, clear, and concise job adverts and descriptions, detailing specifically the skills, experience and qualifications which is both required and advantageous for the role. Good adverts provide a balance of what qualities the employer is looking for in a candidate and what candidates can expect to receive from the employer.

Welcoming Hospitality
An interview process is an opportunity for a candidate to have an insight into what it might be like to be a part of your business. You should treat your candidates as you would a customer. Creating a positive image by greeting them in a friendly manner, making them feel welcomed and comfortable, treating them with respect, encouraging their questions and promoting career opportunities, can all be the difference between a candidate accepting or rejecting your job offer. Following the interview, whether they are successful or not, take a step further and provide them with insightful feedback which they can use to their advantage in future applications.

Listen, Refine, Repeat.
The recruitment process isn’t just an opportunity for an employer to screen potential candidates. Job seekers are measuring their experience in the process, and establishing whether your company is right for them. Consider asking candidates to complete a survey or ask them a series of questions assessing their interview experience with you. Feedback can help you further understand your candidate audience and how you can continuously improve to offer the best candidate experience.

Employees are an organisations greatest asset and taking the time to recruit the right person is a worthwhile investment. Businesses that have the best chance of recruiting the best people are those who truly understand the power of ‘customer experience’. Employers that go above and beyond in their recruitment and onboarding efforts are far more likely to attract quality talent and see greater pay off with retention and job satisfaction in the long-term.

All great companies believe their customers deserve the best and it is no different that candidates should be treated with the same philosophy. Do you treat candidates like customers? Do you attract the best talent by delivering an exceptional recruitment experience?