The job market, as we know, is a competitive place. But it is not just about you attracting the right candidate with the right advert, placed in the right place at the right time; it is also about creating a positive experience for all candidates, regardless of whether they are successful in getting the job or not. 

There is also something else you want to create and that is a buzz around your company; the ‘I want to work for you’ attitude so that you really do get the cream of the crop when it comes to choice.

A positive experience says it all… even when someone doesn’t get the job

You would think this was nigh on impossible - after all, no one enjoys or goes out looking for rejection, which is essentially what happens if your quest for a job at a certain company is unsuccessful. 

But if you do give a positive experience to an unsuccessful candidate they are still highly likely to carry on liking ‘you’, with the vast majority of these people (88%, in fact) also likely to go on and buy from your company.

However, the good news doesn’t stop there; if people do have a positive experience with you they will also refer your organisation to other people – that’s a whopping 97% of them! And, if another suitable role did come up, 95% of these unsuccessful candidates would apply again. Over half of those questioned during this survey carried out in 2014 also said that they thought their experience was very good.

Why it is important to make the experience of applying for a job at your company or business a good one…

The benefits simply outweigh any disadvantages but, there are, of course, variables that can stop this experience from being excellent or very good; pressure and time constraints have their part to play. How many times have you read in a job advert, ‘if you have not heard from us in three weeks, you have been unsuccessful’? 

This is probably the worst sentence to write in to a job advert! Effectively, a company might as well say ‘we will have so many applications that we do not have the time or the resources to respond to you all’.

And so, what are the five simple steps to make a candidate desperate to work for you?

I. Communication

The survey found that communication is key. And there is no excuse for not taking part in conversation with prospective candidates in the modern technological age we live in. Social media can play its part here, as can your own website and, depending on where you advertise your company and vacancies, you can also use social media as a way to engage in conversation. 

II. Simplify

The survey conducted last year by Monster also concluded that the job application needs to be a lot simpler. The days when lengthy application forms were the norm have gone (again, probably due to the technological age we live in). Candidates are more likely to click, drag and drop!

III. Transparency

Increasingly, high calibre candidates are looking for transparency from a company regarding their culture and values. On average, did you know that candidates will spend up to two hours researching a company before they apply for a vacancy? The key information they look for is not only company values, but an indication of why they would want to work for you. They also like to know exactly what it is you do or make, and why people stay with your firm (or not, as the case may be). 

IV. Managing the process

With an average of 204 people applying for every vacancy (2013 figures), if you do advertise a vacancy, you must expect to be deluged. This is no excuse for not making contact with a prospective candidate and it is suggested that there are four interactions that fill people with confidence:

• Receiving an immediate acknowledgement when they apply

• Telling them how long the process could take

• Information on the steps of the process 

• Candidates also like to be informed that their data will be kept safe

V. On boarding – the crucial first few weeks and months

When someone new starts with your company, research suggests that if things do go wrong – in other words, the new employee leaves dissatisfied – it is the on boarding process, also known as job initiation, that has gone wrong. Many candidates who were dissatisfied during this settling-in period were quite clear as to what had gone wrong: the people who hired them were not seen during this period. There was no personal touch.

Knowing what makes a good experience is one thing, but how to create it is another:

• Rather than going for the scatter-gun approach to advertising vacancies, try to target your adverts specifically at the pool of people you want to attract.

• The right people need to be involved in the hiring process, so include the manager who will be working with the candidate when they are successful.

• Every candidate must be treated with respect and given an experience that is also high quality; after all, some of these people could also be your customers.

• A long hiring process is also highly likely to impact on how satisfied people are with your company; don’t make the process overly complicated or lengthy.

• Feedback is important for unsuccessful candidates; they have, after all, placed a lot of time and effort in applying and preparing for interview, why shouldn’t they have comprehensive and honest feedback?

Your hiring process speaks volumes about your company – what does yours say about you?