 Having spent many years as a Senior International Recruitment Consultant at SmartRecruitment.com, I’ve had the privilege of connecting with diverse talent from across the globe (quite literally – Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, LATAM and Oceania!) Throughout my journey, one pivotal piece of the recruitment process always rings true – providing a good candidate experience leads to better overall results, not only from a candidate standpoint but also for the company involved in the hiring process.
Irrespective of the region you’re hiring in or the level of seniority the role plays in an organization, a poor candidate experience doesn’t just cost you one hire but can damage your employer brand. In our ever-evolving, fast-moving business world —where competition for top talent is fierce— candidates remember how they are treated and a negative interaction can spread quickly through industry circles, making it harder to attract the right people in the future. But, what is a great candidate experience? It’s not just about being nice. It’s about setting the right expectations, respecting candidates’ time, and making sure the hiring process is as smooth and engaging as possible. Of course, recruitment is still very much a “human” job (as much as AI might want to disagree!), so naturally, there will be moments where we forget to reply to a message or forgo an update. However, I believe that enhancing candidate experience whenever possible will always yield beneficial results and be crucial for an organization's overall success. A little goes a long way when it comes to candidate experience. Let’s take a look into why this matters and what we, as recruiters, can do to try and get it “right”. 1. First Contact: Setting the Tone The initial interaction lays the foundation for the candidate's perception of the company that is hiring and the role at hand. In the early days, my outreach emails were generic, leading to lukewarm responses. Recognizing this, I started crafting personalized messages that highlight specific aspects of the candidate's background aligning with the roles that I’d have available. For instance, when reaching out to a game developer with a passion for innovative design, I referenced their recent project that caught my attention. This tailored approach led to an increase in positive responses, underscoring the power of personalization. I also find better engagement when my initial reachout messages are ‘short and sweet’, making sure to address the individual by name and ending with a follow up question in order to prompt a reply. Candidates on Linkedin are constantly being bombarded with job suggestions, so they do not have all the time in the world to discern which are the most suitable for them.
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