Talent attraction is the key to any business’s success. The best people create high-performing teams and a competitive edge in the market.
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workforce Report 2023, 15% of employees are actively disengaged and 34% are watching or actively seeking a new job. The recruitment market has been tumultuous since the pandemic; an initial boom was present which was then followed by hiring freezes and redundancies. As the market stabilises it provides hiring teams with more control whilst candidates can still be selective in their opportunities.
This article will present an overview of how to develop a seamless employee experience throughout the early stages of an employee’s journey, setting staff up for success.
What is Employee Experience?
Employee experience refers to the overall journey an employee takes within an organisation, encompassing all interactions, perceptions, and sentiments they encounter throughout their tenure. When it comes to talent attraction, employee experience begins from the moment a candidate applies for a job and extends through the recruitment process.
A positive employee experience throughout recruitment is crucial for fostering engagement early on; encompassing all interactions and touchpoints that a candidate has with an organisation from the moment they become aware of a job opportunity until the point of hire.
Why is the employee experience important to a business’s recruitment process?
Investing in the employee experience early on enables your business to manage expectations which strengthen retention. People Management reported 1 in 5 employees leave an organisation during their probationary period, after exhausting internal resources to recruit the right candidate, their experience was not what they had anticipated.
Under-communicating or lack of exposure to stakeholders will diminish who an organisation truly is, values, culture and what they stand for.
How do you develop an employee-focused recruitment strategy?
To put employees first, you need to understand what they need from an employer to thrive.
- Engage Your Current Employees: Leverage your existing employees as brand ambassadors and encourage them to share their hiring and onboarding experiences.
- Understand Your Target Audience: Begin by understanding the demographics, preferences, and motivations of the talent you’re trying to attract. What are their career goals, values, and expectations from an employer?
An open communicative style works both ways when developing an employee-focused recruitment strategy. According to a study by Zippia, 83% of employees take more initiative in progression when they receive feedback in the workplace which is why hiring managers should include a space for feedback in interviews or as part of the aftercare process.
Here are our 3 tips for building a seamless employee experience throughout the hiring process:
- Streamline the application process: Make the application process simple, user-friendly, and mobile-responsive. Lengthy and cumbersome application forms can deter potential candidates. According to Career Builder, 60% of job candidates will stop an application mid-way through because they find the process too long or unwieldy. Using LinkedIn profiles and quick apply options will add pace to the process whilst using candidate qualification questions will filter through relevant candidates.
- Embrace digital transformation: Developing a positive experience is integral to protecting the credibility of your brand in the market. Career Arc found that 76% of job seekers felt that not hearing back after submitting a job application trumps the frustration of not hearing back after a first date and 37% of job candidates say they’ve left a negative online review after having a negative experience. AI has well and truly built momentum in the business landscape and with the help of automations, every candidate (whether successful or not) should receive a notification updating the candidate on their job application process.
- Measure and Improve: Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of your recruitment efforts by tracking metrics such as time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, candidate satisfaction, and employee retention rates. LinkedIn users say the most important considerations when accepting new job offers are compensation (49%), professional development (33%) and a better work/life balance (29%) which highlights the importance of getting these elements in line or above your competitors. Use feedback from candidates and employees to identify areas for improvement along with your own market research to refine your recruitment strategy accordingly.
The benefits of partnering with an outsourcing business
A positive candidate experience is crucial for attracting top talent and building a strong employer brand. Outsourcing recruitment to a specialised firm can ensure that candidates receive timely communication, personalised attention, and a smooth hiring process, leading to a positive impression of the organisation.
Hintel recently partnered with a global Real Estate business and drove headcount growth by 300% whilst achieving 15% attrition, a rate of 20% below the industry’s standard reported by The Negotiator.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Hintel can be your trusted growth partner, we’d love to hear from you. You can set up an introductory call here or try our complimentary Talent Discovery service here.
