(Reposted from Make HR Happen 5/30/2012

This is the final installment in a three part series on the candidate experience. It began with the ending: The Candidate Experience – Part 3: Transition to Employee because in order to plan any journey the destination has to be clearly in sight. Backing up to the beginning of the process, the second in the series was The Candidate Experience – Part 1: Sourcing and the Thrill of the C...because laying the foundation is a critical part of any plan. Finally, we take a look at the details of the recruiting and hiring phase of the experience. It is this element that is most often discussed by employers and candidates because it is the area that is the most visible. So much has been said that is difficult to take an entirely new perspective. After establishing clear goals and formulating the best plan, why does the candidate experience suffer? People: After all is said and done, the perfect plan has to be executed by imperfect people. People interacting with other people creates a dynamic that is too complex to analyze in depth and too important to ignore. Communication between people works when it is complimentary and is ineffective when crossed. Some people are motivated to play head-games rather than honestly revealing their motives and intentions.

Borrowing from a simplified approach to interpersonal transactions formulated by psychiatrist Eric Berne, Transactional Analysis can be used to explain how candidate communications becomes crossed. It is hypothesized that each individual operates from three distinctly different ego states: Parent (a perception of how a grown-up is supposed to act), Adult (intentional, rational and objective approach) and Child (emotional and spontaneous approach). TA has evolved in the 50 years since its beginning, but going back to the basics can explain how simple communication can go wrong and there is plenty of blame to go around.

Complimentary transactions are the most effective. Regardless of the ego state in play, the sending and receiving of messages is direct and understandable, but optimal results are obtained when both parties are interacting in a rational and objective manner, or the Adult state. When candidates operate from a position of knowledge of the process and receive honest and open data to process, their experience will be satisfying and their personal needs will be perceived as being fulfilled.

Crossed transactions happen when two parties are communicating from different ego states. For example, if one party is attempting to dialog using an objective approach and the other is taking the superior or emotional perspective, the message does not get through as indicated on the chart by crossed arrows. When either of the parties involved loses objectivity and reverts to an alternative method of communication the dialog breaks down and so does the candidate experience.

Ulterior transactions happen when one or both parties resort to playing games rather than communicating. The stated message may seem to be clear on the surface, but there is a hidden agenda that interferes with the message. If employers are not clear on the role, salary or perks of a position, the candidate has no alternative other to respond with games of their own. Exaggeration of past accomplishments or compensation is the tool that digs the grave of candidate experience.

By definition, a candidate “experience” will happen whether it is planned or not. Employers who do not focus on the entire process of the hiring cycle will be doomed to fail. Recruiting costs will increase as a result of disillusioned job seekers who are turned away or ignored entirely. The bottom line of the business may depend on the perception of the company and its products that are observed by visitors who soak up a piece of the culture and broadcast what they experience to anyone who will listen. The recruitment brand of a company is unmistakably glued to the company brand and either can have an adverse impact on the other. Planning the moves in the employment chess game is essential, but it is the people who must make it work. Everyone involved in the process has something to add and must take their responsibilities seriously.

Business Management– From the top down, emphasis must be on making recruitment a priority. Being fiscally responsible is important to the bottom line, but being overly frugal with regard to the employment functions negates any savings that could be seen. Lost productivity due to unfilled critical positions or high turnover is measurable and should be factored into the equation. Trimming costs associated with the updated technology required and expertise to make the business function properly introduces inefficiencies that are time consuming and costly.

Line Management – Those not directly involved in sourcing candidates still have a responsibility to make time for the candidate experience. A functional manager in an area other than human resources can pretend that it is someone else’s job, but there must be total buy-in that building the best organization with the best talent is key to success. Often overlooked is the fact that interviewing is not just a probing into the skills of the candidate as interviewees are also probing into the heart and soul of the company. Hiring managers are required to do as much selling as evaluating. Ultimate professionalism is the minimum standard and being late or absent for appointed interviews makes the job of finding qualified employees even harder.

Recruiting Management– While it is important for those in the recruiting trenches to be well rounded and knowledgeable about the business and have an understanding of other human resource functions, unnecessary project work and non-recruiting task assignments have a direct impact on their availability to keep channels of communications open with candidates. In order for the recruiting function to offer a good experience to candidates, the necessary resources and tools must be evaluated, justified, funded and provided for use. Team building within the sourcing and recruiting is essential to maintaining an outward-facing showcase of the company culture. Listening to the pulse of the company and candidate pool makes this the first place trouble can be spotted. Sounding the alarm to the need for improvement starts here.

Recruiters and Sourcers– If you are not ready to accept the responsibility for a positive candidate experience, find another job! This channel is the funnel through which all communications flow upward and outward. Being proficient in the technical skills of the job is necessary but all of that is secondary to one thing: setting expectations. Committing to management that something can be delivered means that there is an expectation that their communication has been heard and understood. If not, then it must be fixed here. Dialog with job seekers also requires setting expectations with regard to all aspects of their interface with the company. A candidate that knows the process and understands the steps toward a successful close will be more likely to see their experience in a favorable light…even if they don’t get the job.

Candidates– Yes, the candidate is at least partially responsible for their experience. Job seekers who enter the process at some point have an obligation to be objective and honest in their dealings with the company. A lengthy job search can sometimes cloak reality in a cloud of uncertainty, but lashing out or resorting to negativity impacts the ability to focus on the task at hand and presenting qualifications in an unbiased light. Focusing on matching skills and accomplishments to job requirements is the only way to improve the perception of rank or position relative to the competition. Knowledge of self is important as well. Proof of work ethic can come from many sources but job related instances of success tell an important story. Passion is the glue that holds it all together and presents a cohesive picture, but passion without substance is emptiness.

Effective interpersonal communications is essential to the candidate experience. Misinformation and psychological trickery prevents this from happening. Much of the advice stated here is really just common sense and not quite as mechanical as it may seem on the surface, but there is no harm in attacking the problem of candidate experience from any angle possible. It will always be a constant topic of discussion. This is the final episode of this series, but the discussion will go on as long as there are people interacting with people for the purpose of doing business.

Additional articles:

The Candidate Experience – Part 3: Transition to Employee
The Candidate Experience – Part 1: Sourcing and the Thrill of the C...
You Have the Right to Remain Silent
Give Candidates Better Experience, Not Bill of Rights

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