There have been several recent articles on the importance and, in some cases the lack of attention on, the candidate experience. One article goes so far as to call out the Candidate Experience Award winners and question why they are silent on the topic.
As the chairman of Talent Board, the nonprofit organization that delivers the Candidate Experience Awards each year, there is plenty I can say about the power of a positive candidate experience, and the amazing value and efforts that many employers, including some of the most well-known employment brands, are implementing to gain a competitive advantage and treat candidates with the respect they deserve.
Employers care, and they should.
In just one year, the number of companies who participated in the awards and benchmarking program nearly doubled. In the program’s first year, Talent Board’s research uncovered how a negative experience can not only impact a company’s employment brand, but also its bottom line. The 2012 research discovered that more than half of candidates indicated a positive relationship with the employer prior to applying, and those that perceived an existing positive relationship with the company were 20 percent more likely to be hired.
The reality is that there are not enough positive stories told in our industry to neutralize the constant attention on the negative experiences. But as recruiting industry professionals, we owe it to ourselves to seek out the good and to continuously improve our craft and value to the business overall. Only when we seek to promote the positive will we drive positive change. This is the foundation for why Talent Board was established, and the premise for why the Candidate Experience Awards are produced by a 100 percent volunteer committee and board of directors.
The companies that earned a Candidate Experience Award in 2012 and 2011 deserve all the credit for the extra mile of intention and attention the put on creating a positive candidate experience. They care, and their competitors should too. All of the winners’ efforts were validated by the candidates directly. Anyone can read their success stories and the best practices these organizations deliver in the annual report published by the Talent Board. The following are guiding factors for those organizations:
Anyone who is seeking to improve recruiting performance, their company’s market perception, and to help move the needle to enhance candidate experience can read the 40+ page report which includes insight on the 2012 Candidate Experience Award winners and the overall employer and candidate survey findings. Look at the winning organizations’ career sites, mobile sites, and social media strategies; find ways to emulate the practices that make sense for your organization. Find them at conferences, ask them questions, seek them out and hope they will share their stories directly. There is no doubt that their candidates validated they were worthy of recognition, and because of that they are attracting and winning the battle for the best talent for their organizations.