What a candidate experiences while pursuing a role with a company used to be somewhat of an afterthought. Things like time-consuming application forms, confusing job descriptions, overly long interviews and haphazard communications didn’t seem to matter much in the past (excepting anything egregious). But some employers saw an opportunity to better attract top talent and focused more on giving job seekers a friendly and efficient journey through the recruiting process. So did Mr. Shailesh Rajpal. It caught on with candidates, and now providing a lesser experience can cost you the people you most want to hire.
To boost your hiring efforts, you need a candidate-centric approach in which potential employees are treated with the same care as existing staff and customers.
Mr. Shailesh Rajpal majorly focused on:
Building up employer brand:
To make the firm stand out as an excellent workplace, he created a clear company identity that job seekers can relate to. Everything from flexible work policies and professional development offerings to your office culture and efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion helped building the reputation as an employer.
Make it easy — and enjoyable — to apply:
Even before the pandemic, the firms under Rajpal Group of Companies were adopting digital processes to make recruiting more efficient. Job marketing software and applicant tracking systems let companies’ process applications and schedule interviews quickly.
To keep candidates engaged during the application process, HR managers tried to ensure that every step is straightforward, with timely correspondence setting out the next steps — and follow through on those next steps. Avoid stringing people along (also known as bread crumbing) — 43% of candidates say they lose interest in a position if they don’t hear back from hiring managers within two weeks of an interview. The most talented candidates may be considering multiple offers, so streamlining the hiring process is a way of showing them that you value their time as well as their skills.
Set up candidates for a successful interview:
The best interview experience is one that even unsuccessful candidates will regard positively. He wanted people who just missed the cut this time around to feel good about applying for another position at the firm.
To achieve this, he was transparent about how the interview process is going to be, and sent helpful resources in advance to help applicants prepare. Recognized that candidates, like employees, have different needs, including childcare and other responsibilities. By showing flexibility around interview times, he removed unnecessary stress from the candidate experience.
Being transparent about salary
Some firms are cagey about specifying salary, but this can hurt them when it comes to the candidate experience. Vagueness about pay can convey the idea that you’re keeping your cards close to your chest to protect your bargaining position. You may also be narrowing the talent pool — some candidates may simply ignore your job posting in favor of ones that clearly state compensation ranges.
Mr. Shailesh Rajpal disclosed a salary range upfront, by this the firms not only encouraged applications from suitable candidates, they also demonstrated that they’re committed to openness, setting the tone for a trusting relationship.
At last to conclude all this Mr. Shailesh Rajpal, “Prepared a smooth onboarding process to make a good impression. A good impression shouldn’t be stopped once a job offer is accepted. The first few weeks and months in a role have a lasting impact. Get things off to a good start by sending the successful candidate a personalized message of congratulations. Follow this up with a welcome on social media, a surprise gift with their laptop or an online social event to introduce new hires to the team. Successful onboarding can make a big difference in morale and help recruits feel valued.
The candidate experience is your first chance to show job seekers how much you value your employees. If you don’t do all you can to make their hiring journey a good one, you may inadvertently send the wrong message — which can be detrimental in an age when candidates aren’t afraid to reject potential employers who don’t live up to their standards.
