Create a Great Candidate Experience

During any recruitment process the candidate is not the only one under scrutiny. As well as you assessing your candidates, they will be weighing up your organisation and job opportunity and comparing it to others. It’s therefore important that, as an employer, you give your interivew candidates a great experience. In this article I’ll give you some tips and ideas – based on my 24+ years’ experience recruiting for the automotive industry. …

Communicate

Keeping your candidates informed is key to keeping them engaged and interested in your organisation and job opportunity.

Keep your candidates informed of the interview process, time scales and what they will need to prepare
Provide a well written job description. Explain the context of the job and how it fits fit into the wider business.
Greet the candidates warmly and use positive body language
Follow up with candidates after each stage of the process and give them timescales on when you will have news for them..

Be realistic in what you ask for

Whilst you may be keen to test your candidates in depth, it’s important not to ask too much from candidates too early in an interview process.

Wait until the 2nd interview stage to ask candidates to prepare a presentation. Asking too much from candidates too early on could put them off and cause strong candidates to withdraw their application.
Think about the time committment you ask from candidates. Using a Video Interview for the first stage is a great way to move forward quickly and avoids asking candidates to spend time and money attending an interview before they are fully engaged in the process.
Be prepared to cover candidates’ travel expenses – particularly if they are coming a long distance.

Don’t delay

Speed is of the essence – a candidate who has applied for your role may well have applied for others too. Often candidates will accept the first good offer they receive – so make sure it’s yours.

Acklowledge applications within 1-2 days of receipt
Aim to hold first interviews within 2 weeks of receipt of applications
Aim to hold second interviews within 1 week of first interviews
Offer your chosen candidate within 1 or 2 days of final interview…

Immerse the candidate in your culture

In my annual Automotive Industry Employee Surveys, company culture and career progression always feature near the top for factors influencing employees’ choice of new job. Make sure you talk about both.

Your corporate culture is something you can talk about with your candidates, but it’s also something you can show them by they way you behave and by letting them see the working environment and meet others within your organisation.

Talk about your culture early on in the process – in your job advertising, job description and in the interviews. Paint a picture of what it’s like to work for your organisation, the dress code, socials etc
Try and include at least 1 face to face interview – show your candidates around the workplace (don’t just keep them in one meeting room)
Introduce candidates to others within your organisation including the wider team they will work with

Discuss onward career opportunities

Career progression opportunities is a top factor for many candidates in deciding which job to take. Explain what career opportunities may become available to them. Let them know how they might obtain them.…

Encourage and welcome questions

Give candidates the opportunity to ask questions all the way through the process – and give them honest answers. A candidate who has lots of questions is demonstrating a high level of interest in your job – so welcome questions. …

Keep your chosen candidate engaged

Once your chosen candidate has accepted your job and is working their notice it’s important to keep them engaged. Keep in regular contact with them – perhaps inviting them to events or meetings. It’s at this point that their current employer may be counter-offering them so you need to make sure they stay fully engaged with you.

Final thoughts

If you follow these steps consistently you should reap the rewards and increase your chances of securing the best people for your business. This is however only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to hiring the best people. For a fuller picture, see my other articles offering advice for employers.

Next steps

If you’re looking to build your team for your automotive business I can help. Learn more about Why automotive employers work with me and my recruitment processes. Alternatively contact me, Julia Pennington and arrange an exploratory call to discuss how we can help you.

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