It’s important to make a great impression on your candidates when they consider working for your company. You compete with other employers to attract top talent, so you must focus on candidate experience first. From the moment a potential new hire discovers your open position to their experience applying for the job, interviewing, and accepting the job offer, each touchpoint presents an opportunity for you to make the experience exceptional.
This critical period is even more important than the onboarding experience because, at any point, a competing employer, or in some cases, their current employer, could sway your candidate to forego an opportunity with your organization.
These questions are great to ask yourself as you evaluate your recruiting experience:
1. Does your online presence create excitement?
The best candidates will take the time to research the organization before accepting a job offer or engaging in the interview process. What they see online about your organization should communicate the differentiators that set it apart from the rest.
Perhaps your organizational culture is top-notch, you employ some of the most brilliant minds in the industry, or you’re well-known for your groundbreaking medical research and advances. For ideas on what sets you apart, try engaging your current employees about why they chose to work for your organization. Whatever your value proposition for your candidates is, you want your candidates to see you online and think, “This is a company I really want to work for!”
Your “About” or “Careers” Page is a great place to shine. Try incorporating warm, inviting photos of your staff members, campus, or key leadership. Don’t be afraid to show a little personality - candidates want to get to know you. 
2. Are you communicating well and often throughout the entire experience?
How you treat candidates during the recruitment and pre-boarding process indicates how they can expect to be treated as employees and colleagues.
The best way to make your candidates feel welcome is by removing ambiguity and fear of the unknown. Set clear expectations and next steps, so there’s never a question of “what am I missing?” or “why haven’t I heard back?” Remember, applying for a new position can be stressful. With higher-quality communication, candidates will feel more at ease with you and more positive about the organization.
3. Are you making their to-do lists simple?
The technology you use for pre-hire tasks, like submitting applications and required licenses, is a great indicator for candidates. If the software applications you leverage look like they haven’t had a facelift since the 90s, it’s safe to assume the technology candidates could be using at work is just as antiquated. This may or may not be the case, but it can be difficult to rebound from that process once a candidate’s first look behind the curtain is tarnished—technology to meet the expectations of convenience. If your technology doesn’t fit the bill, it’s important to find out why and research alternatives. And if you’re questioning whether you could get leadership buy-in to adopt better technology, here are a few reasons why you deserve it.
4. Are you focused on the details?
Small details can truly make or break the candidate's experience. Whether you exceed the expectations of the candidate by wowing them with thoughtfulness and attention to detail is ultimately what will leave them with the best impression of the company, regardless if they are offered the position.
If you’re in need of a better way of collecting license information from your candidates and employees, EverCheck can help. We’ve got automated solutions for Human Resource and Recruitment professionals and created a seamless, user-centric experience.
If you’re interested in discussing our automated solutions, click here to chat with our team.
