The Application Process: Creating a smooth experience for candidates

In this extremely fast-paced world, no business wants to stay behind. Everyone wants to be the best. For the employees who are already a part of the organization family, we can do the best possible.  

But for the applicants who maybe a potential employee, are we doing our best? Are we creating a smooth experience for our candidates? Are we improvising the application process? 

Table of content

1. Candidate experience: A game changer

2. Why great candidate experience?

3. Ways to smoothen the experience for candidates

Candidate Experience: A Game Changer 

As an employer, how do you feel when you are asked to hire someone? I am sure it must be a big responsibility. You, my friendly HR, have this load on your shoulder to get the right talent for the company.  

Your role doesn’t start at the interview and ends when the applicant is on the team, officially. It is concerned from creating a job to smoothening the application process to ensure candidate communication to conducting the interview to concluding the process to onboarding. Too much work, right? 

Keeping all apart, the most significant step among all of these is to smoothen the application process which in turn creates a great candidate experience. Why are we talking about candidate experience repeatedly?  

Why is it even important for us to ensure a good experience for an applicant who is not even hired? Is it going to affect us? The answer is yes.  

Candidate experience has been a proven game changer for the employers over the time.  

A piece of the report by Deloitte states that 70 percent of the HR professionals think that a positive candidate experience is important. It not only sustains the applicant but also builds a strong employer brand for the applicants who can be a potential employee someday.

Admit it or not, every applicant has their own preference and choice if they want to join the company or not based on the experience of the other applicants.  

Why Great Candidate Experience? 

Reciprocating energies is the best way to give what others want and to get what you want from others. Obviously, if you want to be that one “good employer”, you need to provide the candidate with great experience throughout their application process.  

Let’s dive more into the topic by knowing why we need great candidate experience.  

1. To build a strong employer brand: You are the representative of the company. It is important to build a strong employer brand not just for the applicant who is applying for some job role currently but also for the applicant who is willing to join the company in future.

   It is like someone who buys a product and tells everyone how wonderful it is. Similarly, a satisfied applicant will tell everyone around them how great their experience was with the company they applied to.

2. To create a great talent pool: A positive and great candidate experience tends to attract top notch talents for the available job roles. It provides a greater talent pool than a talent pool that could’ve been achieved by not having a good candidate experience.
3. To improve application completion rate: Candidate experience is essential to improve the application completion rate. Application Completion Rate is used to compute the successful job application process.

   It evaluates the journey of the applicants’ application from the time they applied till the time they submit the finished application. Candidate experience ensures that the qualified applicants are willing to complete the application.  

3. To make hiring efficient: Who wants to take out extra time to know who is qualified and who is not? Not us, right? A well-structured and definitive application process ensures that the focus is maintained on the applicants who can be an asset for the company.

4. To maintain the applicant’s interest throughout: When a company has a great history of candidate’s experiences, the applicant is interested in the job role as well as the company throughout the process. It is like when you buy a product, you compute your willingness to buy the product by the reviews. 

4 Ways to Ensure Smoothen Candidate Experience 

We have talked a lot about what candidate experience is and why do we need to have one. Let’s now draw your attention to the ways in which we can improvise the candidate experience for our company. 

1. Effective communication: Always communicate with the applicant throughout their journey from the beginning of the application process to the conclusion of the interview. Never ever keep them waiting for the results of their application. Especially, if it is about their rejection.

2. Maintain transparency: Conduct a clear and concise application process by ensuring that the applicant is aware of the company’s goal and objective. It allows the candidate to visualize their workdays for your company.

3. Automate the processes: Technologize wherever possible! Create an Application Tracking System for the applicants to know the status of their application. Conduct remote interviews to provide comfort to the applicant. You can also build a feedback section for the applicants to know the area where you should work.

4. Use a candidate centric approach: A candidate is a potential customer, if not an employee. Always try to represent your organization in the best way possible. Enhance the company’s culture and try to build a relationship with the applicant.  

Wrapping Up 

Being an HR is like being a representative of the company. An applicant first meets the HR and then the other employees. So, it is necessary for you to understand the importance of candidate experience.  

I hope we were able to enlighten you with some great knowledge. We will keep bringing in more for you. Till then Keep Reading, Keep Thinking and Keep HRing!