The Candidate Experience – Create a Strategic Hiring Process | Cadient

In the retail, healthcare, and hospitality sectors, competition for candidates - any candidates - is fierce. Most hourly job seekers apply to multiple jobs at once. They are usually in a hurry for a paycheck. So, they most often choose the organization that can hire them the quickest.

The truth is that hourly job seekers are in control of the market now, and to compete for them you have to hire quickly. Almost 40 percent of hourly hires state that quickly obtaining a job is their highest priority, even higher than pay.

And that is why the best way to improve your candidate experience is to shorten it.

We have all been job candidates at one time or another in our lifetimes. You’ve likely experienced lengthy applications and multiple interviews that were exhausting. If applicants become frustrated while applying to your company, they will drop out of the process and move on to the next job opening.

Let’s get right down to it. Here are 3 things you can do to shorten your hiring process quickly.

1. Be transparent and informative in your hiring process.

Give candidates all the information they need in the job description to make an informed decision about whether or not they should apply for the job. Your hiring teams are too busy to waste their time pursuing candidates who will drop out of the process once they are given complete information.

Drown your candidates in information

Ensure your candidates know everything possible about the position they are applying to and the skills and experience (if any) they will need to be successful. Don’t let them give up on the position because they don’t understand the qualifications or get bogged down researching the company.

Not including enough information can affect you as well. If you waste candidates’ time, they’ll remember it as a bad experience and may not consider working for you again.

Most of all, you don’t want to hire the wrong person because of a vague job description. Hiring the wrong person can hurt your bottom line and employee morale and contribute to high turnover. A study from HR Dive found that 48% of workers have left a job because it didn't meet expectations. The percentage was even higher for Gen Z employees.

So set candidate expectations early in the process. And get creative. You don’t have to include it all in the job description. Everyone loves watching videos. I have come across companies that post videos of their employees talking about working in a particular position or the overall company culture. Give candidates a way to easily access this information by posting it on your company website or social media platforms.

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Consider including a salary range

It’s becoming more commonplace to include salary ranges in job postings. And the federal government and some states have laws that require employers to disclose wage ranges for open positions. When possible, list the salary or a salary range in your job description. It will help you get more candidates.

2. Shorten your job application process.

To attract the best hourly talent to your organization, make your application process quick and straightforward.

Review your application

Start by reviewing your current application, whether paper or digital. Many companies have been using the same job application for years. No one ever sees it, so no one ever reviews it. I saw a tweet recently that encouraged all CEOs to apply to their own company at least once a year to learn how annoying their hiring process is. Yikes!

Update your application

Update your application by removing outdated information and requirements. Think about what you can remove. Is it necessary to gather all that information at the beginning of the hiring process? If possible, shorten your application and wait until later in the hiring process to request additional information. The initial application for an hourly position should take less than five minutes to complete.

Make it easy - keep it simple

Texting software like Cadient Text Apply lets prospective candidates show their interest to employers by answering a few questions on their mobile devices in less than a minute. Once registered, they’re sent a link to complete a full application later, at their convenience. Note - This software application works well because the business now has contact information for that prospective candidate and can begin engaging with them immediately.

Drop unnecessary skills, experience, and education

Revisit job requirements. For example, does the candidate really need a college degree? While college degrees are commonly becoming minimum qualifications to be considered for a job, only one-third of the US adult population has this credential. Read more about this issue in our article, Diversity Recruiting: The Impact of Degree Inflation and Disparity.

Don’t forget to loop in managers and current employees

This is also a great time to reach out to managers and employees in similar positions to ask them to review job descriptions for accuracy. Having a bad job description is probably worse than having none at all.

3. Use HR Tech application software

HR tech has come a long way in the last five years. Automation, data analytics, and artificial intelligence are becoming commonplace in human resources. Companies use tech to optimize HR processes, from employee communications to file storage to employee performance.

The advantage of HR tech processes

Technology can speed up time-to-hire by automating mundane daily tasks for recruiters and hiring managers, freeing them to focus on more essential duties, like preparing for an interview. Automated features handle candidate communications on behalf of recruiters, keeping applicants engaged throughout the process.

Automated interview scheduling saves time on the back and forth of emails and phone calls previously necessary to schedule an interview. Video interviewing allows greater flexibility on when and where candidates are interviewed. It also saves money and time for candidates and hiring teams. And finally, automated onboarding processes ensure nothing is missed and compliance is completed.

Utilize decision support systems

Now there’s more. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have moved into the human resources market. Today, there are AI-based tech solutions, like Cadient Decision Point, that can instantly evaluate applications and make data-based decisions in a matter of seconds. Thus giving your hiring managers a head start in their hiring process. Pair that with an instant hire feature, like Cadient HireNow, and managers can hire in minutes, not days.

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Ensure training, utilization, and best practice

Take a close look at how your teams use technology in your current hiring process. Are they using it as intended and to its fullest capabilities? If not, consider implementing training to better understand and utilize the technology correctly. HR tech is only helpful if it’s being used.

Determine if you have the technology you need. HR tech should help you shorten your time to hire and hire high-quality candidates. If not, you may need to consider other options. Look for technology that can be easily integrated with your current ATS. With today’s technology choices, you don’t have to disrupt your entire system to see significant benefits.

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Consider adding integrations

Fortunately, you can now integrate some really incredible add-on features to your current ATS. Our decision support system, Cadient Decision Point, and our texting solution, Cadient Texting, are compatible with any applicant tracking system.

Optimize for mobile

And don’t forget to optimize everything for mobile devices. Job candidates use their mobile devices to search and apply for jobs at all hours of the day, no matter their location.

Wrap up

To compete for candidates in today’s challenging labor market, you have to make your application process easy, convenient, and mobile optimized. Your hiring teams need technology that instantly identifies the best candidates so they can engage and hire fast.

Don’t miss out on high-quality candidates because you lack the technology to identify them and engage with them quickly!

For more strategies and insights to improve your candidate experience, visit Recruiting & Acquisition on our Resources page.

3 Strategies to Shorten Your Hiring Process and Improve the Candidate Experience