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How can you look after Candidates during the recruitment process?

Kate Allen, Executive Chair and Marketing Director, Allen Associates

Paying attention to the Candidate experience has never been more important. Why? Because we’re currently facing a talent shortage, with job vacancies at an all-time high. In the UK, from March to May alone, there were an estimated 837,000 job vacancies – 11,000 more than a year earlier. All of this means that competition for skilled workers is high. 

Business moves fast, and vacant positions can cost. Data from the DfE Employer Skills Survey shows that the biggest concern for companies with unfilled roles is increased workloads for existing staff - an issue flagged by 85 per cent of survey respondents - followed by difficulties meeting customer service objectives and the loss of business to competitors.

Highly-skilled professionals are invaluable, so to secure a top Employee, you should pull out all the stops during the recruitment process. Not only this, but the way you interview will affect your Employer brand. We live in a connected world, and sites like Glassdoor make it easy for people to share their opinion at the click of a button. For more than half of Candidates, a negative interview experience will affect whether they choose to buy into your product or services.

To make a good impression, start at the beginning with your application form. A common frustration for jobseekers is the time it takes to fill in box after box. According to CareerBuilder, 60 per cent of people quit in the middle of completing a form because of its length or complexity. Avoid this by making it as easy as possible for people to apply.

The recruitment process is your chance to let Candidates know that you care about the people who work for you. With this in mind, make sure your website has a dedicated careers section featuring current Employees and video testimonials. Including information about your team’s careers will only inspire others to join you.

Then there’s the interview itself. In order to perform their best, Candidates need up to date information on what to expect. This is something that tech giant Microsoft has recognised. During its interview process for developers, Candidates work with existing Employees on real-life challenges. To help them prepare, they receive information about the problem they’ll need to solve so that they can do their research beforehand.

At Allen Associates, we know how important it is to humanise the recruitment process, so we place communication at the top of our agenda. We’re flexible when it comes to the way in which we interview, as well as times and locations. Whether it’s prioritising returning calls or investing in up to date technology - which allows you to reply to Candidates quickly and thoroughly. Something as simple as an information pack before interview can go a long way to showing that you’re a switched on, forward-thinking Employer.

So, which companies are currently getting this right? Airbus is a good example. According to Glassdoor’s Candidates Choice awards, it tops the list as the best place to interview in the UK. Potential Employees said they were kept informed, that the people they spoke to were friendly and there were opportunities to talk to existing staff members. Feedback like this reiterates the need to communicate. A simple e-mail to say thank you after meeting Candidates or a message giving feedback goes a long way.

When it comes to interviewing, turnaround times are key. The overall process can take an average of 23.7 days, but it’s a fast-moving market and the longer you delay the more you risk losing a Candidate to competitors. To avoid this, you should have a streamlined process which is slick and fast. Invest in training your managers, so that everyone you involve in the hiring process is on board with your aims and values. Use data to analyse and constantly evaluate, with a view to improving all areas of the process.

At the end of the day, your process needs to be flexible to change. The work doesn’t stop when you secure your preferred Candidate, in fact feedback is key. Putting in place a feedback mechanism for all interviewees shows that you value their thoughts, as well as the time and effort spent applying regardless of whether they were successful in the end. If you miss out on this final step, you’ll never know what impression you’ve had on people.

Over the last 20 years, we have grown as a business to become one of the leading independent Recruitment agencies in Oxfordshire, and in 2018 opened our first London office, to service Clients in the capital.

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