How to ensure a positive candidate experience with the right tech

While most industries aren’t experiencing the soaring numbers of applications that we were seeing in 2020/2021, keeping track of applications, CVs and candidates – let’s not forget we’re talking about real people and not just a digital application – remains a challenge for every busy recruiter. How do you ensure that the candidate experience remains positive for all whilst screening candidates, managing applications, communicating next steps, all as quickly as possible to prevent qualified candidates from slipping the through the net?

This is where an application management system can be of enormous help to recruiters, allowing you to track the recruitment process for each job, using notes and status updates. A traffic light system is ideal, allowing you to quickly rank candidates. Those marked as red can be automatically sent an email thanking them for their application and informing them that they have been unsuccessful this time (pre-worded within the template by the recruiter). Given the number of posts on LinkedIn written by disgruntled candidates that have been ghosted by recruiters, this simple act is enormously appreciated. Word of mouth recommendations can boost your business but negative reviews can be incredibly damaging to your brand. 

Is your recruitment website equipping candidates with the knowledge and the drive to register their CV, apply for a job or find out more? If not, it’s not doing its job and you will be missing out on talented candidates. Even worse if your website is actively discouraging candidates from converting because the UX is poor. It is crucial that the entire candidate journey is straightforward, especially the job search and application process. Ensure your jobs page is easy to navigate to and that comprehensive filters can be applied so that candidates can find the best jobs for them.

The primary cause of candidate drop out is a long, overly complicated application process. Don’t force a candidate to fill out too many fields, don’t insist on a cover letter, don’t ask for multiple documents to be attached, and don’t make them duplicate anything they’ve already had to fill out. Allow candidates to set up job alerts so that if they don’t find a suitable job in your current listing, they can be notified if one comes into your agency. The great thing about a job alert is that the candidate is in charge so you’ll never frustrate them with unsolicited, untargeted communications.   

Also important is to make sure your website is optimised for mobile devices – not only will a large number of candidates use a mobile to both browse jobs and apply, Google penalises websites that aren’t mobile optimised. If your website isn’t mobile friendly, the user experience will be frustrating and the likelihood that candidates will drop off before converting in any way is high. Website speed is equally important – you don’t want to miss out on top talent because your website pages take too long to load. In a recent RecWebs report, we found that the average page load speed times for mobile recruitment websites fell into the ‘poor’ band. Again, this will increase the likelihood of a high bounce rate and candidates will simply go elsewhere.

The human element of recruitment is something that simply can’t be replaced, which is why the combination of streamlining, data-driven tech with the compassionate, relationship-building power of a human recruiter makes for a winning formula. Used well, tech such as WaveTrackR should help to track candidates during the process, communicate quickly with them, and reduce time on admin, thereby freeing up valuable time for conversations. On your website, add the details of the recruiter handling each job, which can immediately create a connection. Include a picture, name and job title, plus clickable links to their LinedIn profile, and internal contact details or their profile on your meet the team page if you have one. Candidates are putting their careers in the hands of recruiters. Providing them with the ability to see who they would be talking with can instil a vital sense of trust.