We have all heard the buzz of late around the “candidate experience”, but what the heck is it? Why is it important? Usually this is a conversation had in the context of the online application process, but the experience is much broader than that. The candidate experience is a sum of all the job seeker touch points with your organization including, but not limited to:

• The application process (online, paper based, other)
• Recruiter and or HR contact
• Hiring Leader contact

The experience your candidates have while going through your organization’s recruitment process is no longer just important.....it is critical to your organizations survival. In today’s candidate driven marketplace, talented professionals have little time or patience for an unprofessional, slow, or broken experience. What kind of experience does your organization offer? Try the old mystery shopper approach, and check the experience out for yourself. Ask some of your organization’s top talent to go through the process and comment on its efficiency and friendliness. What is the key to a great candidate experience? Treat your candidates the way you would expect to be treated as a candidate, with respect, professionalism, and empathy.

Think of the candidate experience as being an extension of your organization’s brand, including your employment brand. Treat your candidates like customers, because they just might be one now or in the future.