Attracting top talent is critical to your success. A positive Candidate Experience influences your reputation as an employer, and therefore your ability to attract the best candidates.
So, how can you improve your candidate experience and attract the best talent?  

Here are 6 top tips from NeonLogic’s Talent Marketing team:

1. Post career-related content on your social media channels 

The PeopleScout survey revealed that 2/3 of candidates used social media to research companies during their job search. Leveraging social media can create an engaging and authentic candidate experience by showcasing your company’s culture and values. Content can include employee stories (see Tip 4!), highlighting employee events and initiatives with photos and videos, celebrating employee achievements and ‘wins’, and of course, links to current vacancies.  Social media also enables candidates to ask questions and engage with your company directly, which can establish trust and build a sense of community.

2. Invest in your career website 

Your company’s career website is often the first point of contact for potential candidates – it should offer an authentic insight into what it is like to work with you. Everything from the imagery, messaging, and user journey needs to reflect your employer brand, your values, and your culture. You can include employee stories, videos, resources, available opportunities, and links to external support such as official immigration pages if you’re targeting overseas talent.

Your career website should be an easy to navigateeasy-to-navigate, streamlined digital experience that supports candidates at both the engagement stage of the candidate journey where a candidate is researching your company, and also at the conversion point where candidates are reviewing and applying for roles.

3. Review the content of your job ads 

Over 61% of candidates in the PeopleScout report have been deterred from applying for a job due to poorly written job adads. Job ads should not be a condensed version of the job description! The role of a job ad is to inform and inspire. A well-written job ad should focus on the candidate’s perspective – what’s in it for me? Yes, it’s important to outline the skills and qualifications required for the role, but it’s crucial to ‘sell’ the role as well. What are the benefits and opportunities? And remember, avoid using jargon or overly technical language that may be confusing to candidates.

4. Share authentic employee stories 

You’ve likely heard of the marketing term ‘social proof’ – a technique that involves showing potential customers that others have already purchased or used a product or service and had a positive experience. The aim is to build trust and by highlighting that others have already benefited from the product or service. Employee stories are essentially a talent marketing version of social proof. By authentically showcasing the stories of your current employees, potential candidates can gain valuable insights into your culture and get a better sense of what it’s like to work with you.

Employee stories can help to communicate how your company supports diversity and inclusion, gives back to the community, or encourages employee development. When candidates see real employees talking about their experiences, they are more likely to trust that the information they are receiving is accurate and true.

5. Clear, regular, and personalised candidate communication 

In the current market, it’s likely that the best candidates are considering multiple opportunities – to secure them, you need to keep them engaged and interested. The PeopleScout report highlights that 60% of candidates will drop out of the recruitment process if it is too long or complicated. It also highlights that 74% of candidates expect to receive feedback after an interview.

Ensuring you provide regular, personalised communication throughout the process is key. Candidates need to understand timeframes, and the steps involved in your recruitment process. This should include including acknowledging receipt of their application, providing interview details and feedback, and letting them know the status of their application.

6. Invest in your employer brand 

Your employer brand is the relationship you have with your employees – whether they are current, past, or potential candidates. It’s the personality of your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) reflected in all your candidate and employee communications, and it’s also your reputation as an employer. A well-crafted employer brand should weave together your culture, your vision, and your values to help you to stand out from other employers.

Communicating your Employer Brand across all the touchpoints of the candidate journey builds confidence in your organisation as the right choice for their career journey. By discovering and clearly defining what you offer as an employer and creating an employer brand, you’re able to build a connection with a candidate well before they even apply for a role.

Attracting and retaining top talent is critical to the success of your business. And it’s becoming increasingly challenging. Give yourself the competitive edge in the war for talent by crafting a candidate experience that is engaging and inspiring.

For more insights into candidate expectations in the current market, contact NeonLogic’s specialist Talent Marketing team. Let’s chat.

*PeopleScout audited the candidate journey of 215 organisations around the world, and surveyed 2400 candidates globally – the full report can be downloaded here.