Employer branding is more than just branding
In 2022, saw the rise of employer branding as the central most important topic with regards to talent attraction. Since then the discussion around employer branding has occupied the mainstream with different practitioners providing their takes on what a successful employer brand strategy entails. Driven by the evident shortage of applicants, it has shown no signs of slowing down. The field of employer branding offers a wide range of opportunities for companies that want to stay competitive in today's market. This is because employer branding is not only about communicating as an attractive employer, but also includes other points that enable a company to not only convince candidates but also to retain them in the long term.
This article is aimed at giving you insights into the topic of Candidate Experience and provides you with tips on how to improve your Candidate Journey.
What is Candidate Experience?
The Candidate Experience (also called the Candidate Journey) is the journey a job seeker takes with an employer as they go through the recruiting process. It is about the experience and communication touch points the candidate experiences. This journey starts at the first point of contact in the recruiting process. The experience ranges from the moment a candidate discovers, reads the job advertisement and engages with all the resources you have placed at their disposal up to being hired.
But why is it so important to provide the candidate with a good and easy application process? According to a study, 42% of candidates have abandoned their applications because the process was too complicated for them. We will show you the different stages of the Candidate Journey and give you tips on how to improve them.
1. Stage: The job search
Employer branding plays a major role in this phase. How is the company perceived by the candidate and does the candidate know the company?
Tips:
- It should be as easy as possible to find positive information about your company and the source from which candidates learn about the job should be related to positive emotions. Recommendations are always a good indicator of good employer branding.
- The application process should be as simple as possible. Allow your candidates to 1 Click apply or sign up via LinkedIn/Google to reduce the effort. You can also consider eliminating the cover letter if it is not mandatory for vetting candidates. Time is important but also consider the quality of the engagement, is the candidate better off with regards to familiarizing themselves with your company.
- Go through the entire application process on your career site and for each form, consider how it can be made more engaging and frustration-free - design also plays a big role.
2. Stage: The Interview
The interview is the first real point of contact with your company. The candidate forms an image of the interviewer and links his or her image with that of your company - i.e. first impressions matter, and who represents that first impression on behalf of your firm is just as important as the process itself. An unpleasant interview can put a candidate off, whereas a positive interview puts your company in the best possible position. It is pivotal to automate the rudimentary parts of the interview in order to avoid wasting 15 min on the same basic questions a user is always asked.
Tipps:
- Create a pleasant atmosphere. If your applicants feel comfortable, the interview is also more relaxed. Offer applicants water to loosen up the conversation or start with casual questions. Consider your firm’s messaging: are you formal, are you casual - the goal is to break down walls to offer the candidate as comfortable an experience as possible to get to know the real them.
- The first contact with future colleagues is crucial. Hire recruiters who make candidates feel comfortable and, at best, are communication experts that understand the sector you are in, why the work is meaningful, and how the company expects to play a role in growing the market but also the candidate themselves.
- Try to make it as easy as possible for the candidate to find an appointment. There are tools for this, with which applicants can digitally match available appointments. On the other hand, this also entails you helping the candidate make the appointment whether it is remuneration for travel or even a lunch stipend.
3. Phase: Closing
Once you have decided on one of the candidates, all that remains is to sign the contract. However, you should not neglect the Candidate's Journey, as it is sometimes the most important step in the process. Without commitment, the previous part is an expenditure of resources, which is not converted into value. According to a study, 22% of candidates have not accepted a job offer because they did not feel valued in the process. That is why you need to finish strong. It is not about just hitting them with benefits and salaries but explaining to them how you see them playing a role in the firm and how the role sets them up for other opportunities.
Tips:
- Present the candidate with a contract offer that is justified. No matter how attractive your company is and the candidate's journey was, the whole thing can fail because of a bad offer.
Understand the needs
Applicants are usually very cautious when it comes to salary requirements, which you are afraid of setting too high or too low. It is therefore all the more important as an employer to go into the interview openly and confidently and to take away this fear from the applicant by trying to understand and, if possible, meet his or her requirements.
From this phase, the Candidate Journey leads to the Employee Journey, which means that the candidates now continue on the path as employees. This journey is just as important for employer branding, which is why you should also pass on positive experiences, e.g. during the induction period, to the new employee.
Improve your Candidate Journey today with MoBerries
MoBerries is a job platform that connects companies with candidates receive job ads that match their skills saving the frustration of searching.
Best of all, you only pay a 99€ usage fee in our Pay per Hire model. No further costs are incurred until you have successfully recruited candidates.
MoBerries’ omni channel solution streamlines the job search experience for all parties. It enables companies to strengthen their candidate journey while allowing candidates to easily apply via their preferred messenger as well as social media platform.
It can be integrated directly on any webpage, within a few steps turning any page into an interactive touch point for candidates. Reach out to us to see how you can improve your candidate journey - with MoBerries’ omni channel engagement solution.
