Benefits of a Positive Candidate Experience

Are you looking to attract and retain the best talent for your organisation? If so, you must prioritise a positive candidate experience throughout the recruitment journey. Research indicates companies that provide excellent experiences for job applicants obtain higher levels of employee engagement and loyalty, resulting in greater business success. In this blog post, we’ll outline why having a positive candidate experience is important and the potential issues that may be caused by failing to provide this.

The Consequence of Negative Candidate Experiences

Negative candidate experiences can have serious consequences on a company’s reputation and ability to attract quality talent. Poorly designed recruitment processes can lead to potential job seekers viewing a company in a bad light. This can reduce the number of people who are interested in applying for positions, making it more difficult to fill vacancies.

The impact of a negative candidate experience isn't limited to just lost applications. Unpleasant interactions before, during, or after applying for a role may lead applicants to share their stories online, damaging the brand's reputation. The review websites Glassdoor and Indeed provide direct access for candidates to post reviews about companies outlining their hiring process and any negative experiences they had. This means that potential job seekers can read negative reviews and form an opinion of the company before deciding to apply for a job.

Negative candidate experiences also cost businesses in terms of lost time and resources. Poorly handled recruitment processes often result in longer timelines to fill positions, leading to increased costs associated with hiring delays. Furthermore, having to re-run the recruiting process after losing candidates due to negative experiences wastes valuable resources such as money and employee hours spent on assessing and interviewing more people than necessary.

Many of these issues can be offset through the use of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that improves the candidate experience within the applicant funnel. For instance, helping candidates with their job search, providing a job application process that candidates can start and finish online and managing automated personalised emails and SMS contact allowing for an overall more streamlined hiring experience.

How to Provide a Positive Candidate Experience

It’s not just about improving candidate experience for the sake of reputation, companies that offer a great candidate experience benefit from higher rates of job satisfaction and engagement, lower turnover rates, and better performance from their employees.

Companies must strive to provide candidates with positive experiences throughout the hiring process if they hope to attract and retain quality talent. Employers should make sure their career sites sings the employer brand and check job postings are clear and accurate, so candidates know what to expect before applying. You can read more on which types of content make a peak-performing careers site to attract candidates in the UK Candidate Attraction Report from our free resources library.

Candidates should be able to easily book a suitable interview slot and be 'kept warm' with regular communications. During interviews, employers should be respectful of candidates' time by being punctual for meetings and providing timely feedback and information on the next steps. Moreover, it is important to ensure that the hiring process runs smoothly and efficiently from start to finish.

To further improve candidate experiences, employers should focus on providing a transparent recruitment process and setting appropriate expectations for candidates throughout the journey. Companies should create a culture that values diversity and inclusion, so candidates feel welcome and respected.

Ultimately, negative candidate experiences will have long-term consequences for any company if not addressed promptly and effectively. By taking steps to ensure candidates have a positive experience during all stages of the recruiting process, organisations can gain an edge when attracting top talent while avoiding potential reputational damage.

Contact Eploy for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) 

At Eploy, we offer highly configurable Applicant Tracking Systems designed to help you find the best candidates for every job opening. Get in touch with our specialist team at Eploy to find out how we can help you meet your recruitment goals.