How to communicate effectively with candidates
- Set clear expectations from the start: when candidates apply, acknowledge their application promptly with a confirmation email. This sets a positive tone and lets them know their application has been received. Outline the steps of your hiring process, including timelines, so candidates know what to expect and aren’t left in the dark.
- Maintain regular communication: throughout the process, keep candidates informed of their status. Even if there are delays, it’s important to send periodic updates. For example, if the decision-making process is taking longer than expected, let them know. Silence can lead to frustration and leave a negative impression.
- Personalise your communication: acknowledge and appreciate the time candidates have invested in your process. Avoid using generic templates for every interaction. Personalised emails or calls, where you address candidates by name and refer to specific aspects of their application or interview, make them feel valued. This small consideration and mirroring effort can significantly improve their experience.
- Utilise templates for efficiency: while personalisation is a crucial consideration, templates can be used to streamline communication and ensure consistency. Create templates for common messages, such as interview confirmations, rejection letters and offer letters. This can save time and effort while maintaining a professional tone.
- Be transparent: if a candidate asks questions about the role, the company or the hiring timeline, provide honest and clear answers. Transparency builds trust and reassures candidates that your company is open and respectful.
How to deliver feedback to candidates
- Timely feedback: provide feedback as soon as possible after the interview or assessment. This shows that you respect the candidate’s time and effort. Delayed feedback can cause unnecessary anxiety and reflect poorly on your organisation.
- Constructive and specific feedback: whether the outcome is positive or negative, make sure your feedback is constructive and detailed. Instead of vague comments like “you weren’t the right fit,” explain why. For instance, “we were looking for someone with more experience in project management, but we were impressed with your strategic thinking.” This kind of feedback can help candidates improve and leaves them with a positive impression, even if they weren’t selected.
- Balancing positives and negatives: when delivering feedback, try to balance areas for improvement with positive observations. This approach helps candidates feel appreciated and supported, rather than simply criticised.
- Offering follow-up: in some cases, particularly with candidates who made it to the final stages, offering a follow-up discussion can be very beneficial. This gives them the opportunity to ask questions and better understand your feedback, further enhancing their experience.
The impact of poor candidate experience on your business
- Reputation damage: a negative candidate experience can quickly spread in today’s digital age on social media and sites like Glassdoor. Poor experiences can deter top talent from applying and damage your employer brand. Candidates who feel they were treated poorly may share their experience with their network, potentially discouraging others from engaging with your company.
- Loss of potential customers: candidates are often potential customers, especially in consumer-facing businesses. A bad experience during the hiring process can lead them to view your products or services less favourably, impacting sales and customer loyalty. For example, a candidate who feels mistreated might decide to switch to a competitor’s product or advise others to do the same.
- Hindering talent acquisition: a company known for poor candidate experiences will struggle to attract top talent. Talented professionals often have multiple job options, and if your recruitment process is seen as unprofessional or disrespectful, they’re likely to choose another company. This can lead to a less competitive workforce and affect your company’s performance in the long run.
- Internal morale and culture: poor candidate experiences can also have a ripple effect internally. If current employees see candidates being treated poorly, it can affect their perception of the company and erode workplace morale. Moreover, if employees participate in a hiring process that is disorganised or disrespectful, it can undermine their confidence in the company’s leadership and values.
Ensuring a positive candidate experience
By focusing on effective communication, delivering thoughtful feedback and understanding the broader impact of candidate experience, your company can build a reputation as a respectful, desirable employer.
Here’s how to ensure that every candidate, whether hired or not, walks away with a positive impression of your organisation:
- Prioritise consistent, clear communication: always keep candidates informed and never leave them wondering about their status.
- Deliver constructive feedback: make sure feedback is helpful, specific and delivered in a timely manner.
- Recognise the long-term impact: remember that every candidate interaction can impact your brand, customer loyalty and future talent acquisition.
A well-managed candidate experience not only helps in attracting top talent but also strengthens your brand’s reputation, ensuring that you are seen as a company that values and respects everyone it interacts with.