In the HR/ recruiting space, there's often a buzz about the candidate experience.  Multiple recent studies have cited candidate experience as the number one reason why a candidate would choose one company over another.  When top talent seems in short supply, it's time to get creative.  It's time to enhance the candidate experience.  But what does an exceptional candidate experience look like? 

Personalize Your Candidate Experience

At its core, the candidate experience is all about the candidate.  In their rush to hire, some businesses have forgotten how personal this experience is to the job seeker. While the recruiter may have a process they follow time and again, often the candidate is unaware of what this process will be like for them. Between the application and eventual hire, there are many opportunities to personalize and enhance this experience for candidates.  Let's examine ways in which we can improve the candidate experience:

• Increase Transparency.  One of the best ways to attract top candidates is by increasing transparency.  Candidates want to know more about the organization they're applying to.  And they want to know what they can expect from the hiring process.  Businesses such as Zappos do a great job with being transparent to job seekers and in return, have topped the lists for their candidate experience.  They accomplish this by offering insight into their various teams, and allowing candidates to see themselves in their company culture.  It's no wonder they're a popular employer with job seekers!
• Communicate More. In an age of information, one thing that troubles candidates is a lack of communication. Often, between the initial application and an offer letter, there are gaps in communication.  This can leave candidates feeling uneasy or overlooked.  In truth, a company may be very interested in hiring a candidate, but their lack of communication could lead that candidate to seek employment elsewhere.
• Offer Support. Often overlooked by recruiters is a candidate's desire to obtain support throughout the hiring process.  Candidates want to feel like the recruiter has adequately prepared them for interviewing with a hiring manager. By checking in with the candidate and offering some tips, candidates feel supported throughout the hiring process.
• Immerse Candidates in your Brand. One of the best ways to personalize the candidate experience is to offer them the ability to truly dive deeper into your brand.  A great way to do this is with video interviews.  Video interviews allow businesses to show candidates what being a part of their team would mean.  66% of candidates who take a video interview prefer this process.

By personalizing the candidate experience, recruiters can begin to put the candidate back in candidate experience. When recruiting teams focus on this vital piece of their overall employer brand, they begin to attract top talent and edge out their competitors.