Connecting with your candidates is more important now than ever before. However, the current restrictions that have been put in place due to the outbreak of COVID-19 have presented a number of challenges that are making those connections a little trickier. Many of the methods we employ to provide great service to job seekers have been shelved for the time being, however providing a superb candidate experience should remain one of the most important values of any business – pandemic or no pandemic.
Still, only about 1 in 5 companies have a role dedicated to overseeing and managing the candidate experience, meaning there is a lot of room for companies to step up their game up. Why not do it now?!
Here are a few easy ways to maintain a strong candidate experience, because these days, a poor one could be enough to make or break your business.
Create a Centralized Location for Important Information
With the situation changing by the hour, it’s important to instill a sense of consistency wherever possible. Having one dedicated space – whether it be on your website, your social media pages, or in an email campaign to contacts in your database –  so people can get updates and information regarding your business practices during the pandemic will go a long way.
Candidates want to know that the company they are looking to work with has a grasp on their response to the situation and are doing all that they can to keep them updated. Being informed is comforting during these increasingly uncertain times, and if you can help bring about that feeling, your candidates will thank you.
Don’t Forget to be Human
With everything rapidly becoming virtual, it can be easy to get swept up in the convenience and automation that technology offers, and consequently lean towards autopilot. But losing the human element that distinguishes your company and jobs from everybody else is one sure fire way to turn your candidates off.
Taking some extra time to personalize messages and reach out to candidates individually during the hiring process will instill a sense of comfort and normalcy into the current situation. During a time where ‘normal’ feels like a distant memory, empathy and sensitivity will be much appreciated.
Features like our VOiP integration can help you deliver that much-needed human element: when a candidate calls you, all of their information and past communication pops up on your screen, so that you can dive right into a personalized conversation without skipping a beat.
Communication Is King
A lack of communication has often topped the lists of what frustrates candidates the most about the hiring process. A staggering 83% of candidates have said that their overall experience would be greatly improved if hiring managers gave them a clear idea of the hiring timeline associated with a job. In addition, more than half of candidates point out that they didn’t receive any communication from their last interview for two or more months. These stats are disappointing, and they all indicate that candidates value communication more than anything.
Keeping in contact with your candidates is always important but this is true now more than ever. A lot of the stress that has accompanied this pandemic can be eradicated by simply keeping lines of communication open, providing updates to candidates when they become available, and being honest when you don’t have the answers. The outbreak has also taken a considerable toll on many people’s mental health, so doing your part to being communicative and transparent in a confusing time will be much appreciated.
Get Your Employer Brand in Tip-Top Shape
Employer brand and candidate experience go hand-in-hand; a bad one of either can affect the other in very harmful ways. If a candidate has a poor experience during the interview process, they could paint you in a negative light to their network. If there is a weak online presence or poor reputation associated with your company, candidates will come in with a negative view right from the start – that is, if they come in at all.
Now is a good time to employ the use of social media and email marketing to improve your employer brand. Being active on social media during this time is a great way to connect with customers, but choosing your words and actions wisely to craft the right employer brand is even more important. Building up a positive reputation for yourself as a company that candidates actually want to work for ensures that your potential candidates have the best possible image of you before they even begin the interview process! And in these trying times, you have to do everything you can to make sure that happens.
If you have more questions about retailoring the candidate experience for the age of COVID-19, don’t hesitate to reach out today. Mindscope is committed to remaining a supportive partner during these changes and is eager to do all that we can to help our customers thrive – contact us today.
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