Today, attracting talent is more than just convincing people to apply to jobs. Talent attraction stems into the interview process itself as more and more competing companies battle to offer the best interview experience.
It happens all too often that great candidates begin an interview process only to abandon it for a more appealing offer. But what’s worse is when candidates ditch midway through an interview process simply because another company is treating them better or sharing more information about their candidacy potential.
Getting candidates to love your interview process can be tricky. But, it’s a worthwhile cause to tackle so your team doesn’t lose top talent.
If you’re finding that your team is losing candidates during the interview process, here are a few reasons why that might be happening.
Your Process Feels Cold
Many of us preach “treat others the way you want to be treated.” But all too commonly, that is not reflected during interview processes.
Imagine going through the interview process your team has established. Do you like it? Odds are, you probably don’t.
Sending updates about status changes or making candidates aware of their standing while they wait for a decision are a step in the right direction. Don't forget to also pass along exciting company content to make candidates feel eager about the team they may be joining!
A simple email or text from a recruiter sharing this information or offering encouragement can make all the difference.
Your Candidates Don’t Know Enough About Your Culture
Candidates often ask for recruiters’ and hiring managers’ impressions of company culture while they’re interviewing. If you’re only allowing these questions during interviews and sharing little insight otherwise, candidates aren’t getting the full picture.
Standardizing portions of interviews dedicated to discussing culture is a great start.
Sending updated content, like video tours of the office or employee reviews, and directing candidates to social media pages are fantastic sources where candidates can get an insider perspective that’s unique from the role they’re interviewing for.
If you have a company blog or awesome Instagram feed with all your company events, share these! Candidates want to know the environment they’ll be stepping into.
It’s Taking Too Long
This has to be the biggest complaint from candidates, along with not hearing back from companies whatsoever.
A lengthy process is annoying and kills the momentum of the application process. From a candidate’s perspective, applying to a new job or acting upon an inbound job opportunity is all triggered by an emotion and reason. Both of which can quickly fade.
When candidates apply to a job or agree to start the interview process with a recruiter, it’s because they want to get the ball rolling on something new. Many are even ready to leave their current company the instant they get an offer.
The longer the process is to get to that offer, the less excited, less eager and less interested candidates become.
Use candidate communication software where applicable to speed up the interview process and take over any bottlenecks or mundane recruiting tasks.
You’re Not Giving Candidates A Good Preview Of The Job
Not being transparent about the company culture is a big problem. Not sharing enough about the position itself is equally harming. When candidates are unsure of what they’d be doing exactly, they are less likely to continue in the interview process or accept an offer. Any level of uncertainty creates tension and a lack of trust in your company.
It’s important to standardize interview questions that get to the core of the job responsibilities, and offer resources so candidates get a sense of what they may be doing each day.
Allow candidates to interview with their potential manager(s). This gives them a chance to learn what goals they’d need to achieve and what metrics and standards they’ll be held to.
Team or “day in the life” videos, department photos, more informative job descriptions or even product demonstrations are good ways to relay the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities of a position.
How To Fix These Interview Process Problems
These are all very candidate-driven impressions of your organization, so it can be hard to determine if you have a problem that needs updating. If you want to start making improvements to your hiring process, start by surveying candidates. They will be very honest about their experiences and share a good perspective. This data will give your team a benchmark to work off and improve upon in the future.
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