We are currently living in a world where there are plenty more roles than candidates, therefore creating a true Employer Brand with the best Candidate Experience is more important than ever before!
As recruiters, we need to start thinking of our candidates as consumers. Storytelling is a powerful tool that, in recruitment, we should use more. We need to utilise our own employee stories and motivations to show candidates a true illustration of our company, igniting real emotions.
At our past EVP and Employer Brand event in London, 50+ talent acquisition professionals discussed over the course of the day what recruiters should be doing to supercharge their candidate experience. Below is some valuable insight shared by our speakers on the day:-
“74% of candidates with a positive experience will share their story with others… and 55% of candidates with a negative experience will share their story” – CANDEs Report 2018
Poor candidate experience can do irreversible damage to your employer brand. With that in mind, what can we be doing to improve our candidate experience?
Mark Chaffey (Co-Founder & CEO @ hackajob) and Ben Gledhill (Head of Talent Acquisition @ Yodel) shared some actionable insight on how to create an EVP that speaks to individuals while still being tied to your core values.
Top tips discussed on the day:
1. Start from the inside. What are your core values and your true message? If you have clearly stated company values then it not only lets potential candidates know who you are but it also constructs a constitution for how you make your hiring decisions. Talk to your people and get to know your current employees. Find out their motivations for joining your company and why they have stayed with you.
2. Understand your audience. Who are your candidates, where are they, and what do they want? What do they expect from you and what are they looking for? Speak a language that they will understand.
3. Crafting your EVP. You now know your values and your audience, so start connecting with them and show them who you truly are! Relate to your values and don’t oversell. A customer wouldn’t buy a product without knowing the price, why would a candidate join a company without knowing who they are? Don’t be afraid of letting candidates see behind closed doors and letting your employees tell their story help them out! Show them more about your business, let your employees tell their story (people want to hear from people, not from brands!).
* Top tip: use video to show your employees stories, show a day in the life at your company.
4. Embrace AI and chatbots. Recruitment will always be human-to-human but don’t be scared of utilising technology. Recruiters only have so much time in a day so take advantage of AI for your candidate experience. In the high touch e-commerce climate we live in today, candidates are expecting the same levels of engagement from potential employers that they would from Apple or Amazon. This generation of candidates expects a quick, helpful and personal experience.
5- But most importantly: “Always remember every individual is different, get to understand their why!”
Watch Mark’s full presentation here:
Watch Ben’s full presentation here:
To wrap up…Employer Brand isn’t just about having an amazing website, cool assessment, gamification, amazing recruitment video, etc…it is an entire ecosystem that must work together.
Recruiters need to start treating candidates like consumers and use the true power of storytelling. Remember that candidates want to hear from your employees, and truth and emotions are powerful tools!
If you would like to join us at upcoming events, discussing similar inspiring topics, please take a look at our events page here.
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