3 Ways to Create an Awesome Candidate Experience

In a tight labor market, job seekers hold all of the cards. They're in a better position to choose between employers, because, as the unemployment rate shrinks, there are fewer qualified candidates looking for work.

In this environment, candidate experience becomes more and more important. Job seekers begin to form an opinion of your organization as soon as they read your job descriptions. If that initial interaction leaves them with a positive impression of your brand, they'll move forward in the pipeline by completing an application.

If the application is complicated, confusing, redundant or tedious, their opinion of your brand could suffer. A poor candidate experience could cause some applicants to rethink their decision to apply for work at your company.

Companies should monitor their employer brand

If your organization doesn't track and measure how job seekers view the company, you could miss out on opportunities to impress qualified candidates. To determine how your company is viewed as an employer, check out review sites such as Glassdoor. You'll see how candidates react to each stage of the hiring process so you can make adjustments as needed.

When candidates have a poor experience applying for a position at your organization, they're likely to tell someone else about it. Candidates may post about their experience online, where their negative opinion could influence future job seekers. Managing your reputation proactively will help to ensure that new job seekers get an unbiased opinion of your organization.

Improving your job descriptions, application process and outreach strategy can bolster your company's reputation in the job market.