DELIVERING A GREAT CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE

Hire Top Talent by Focusing on Five Key Areas

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Executive Summary 2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A few benefits of a great candidate experience

Lower sourcing costs

Reduce time-to-hire

Find and hire stronger candidates

Save hiring managers’ time

Decrease interview no-shows

Turn new hires into evangelists

Keep declined candidates as customers and advocates

“Job Openings and Labor Turnover,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov. (June 6, 2017)

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The importance of candidate experienceHiring is getting harder and more expensive. With unemployment at 4.7%, the lowest it's been in over a decade, competition for the best candidates is even tougher than usual. The total time to hire is now at its highest level since 2000 and the total cost to hire one new employee is currently around $4,000.

For managers, operators and HR directors who don’t have additional budget and time to spend on expensive recruiting processes, investing in the overall candidate experience is the quickest path to efficiently and cost-effectively hiring the best candidates. Creating a modern hiring experience that puts candidates first, and optimizes every interaction with potential employees, is a critical step in attracting and retaining top talent and driving down the cost of hiring.

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What is candidate experience?Candidate experience is what the applicant thinks and feels as they go through the five steps of the candidate journey with your company.

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As a whole, candidates’ impressions as they interact with your company at each step of this journey form the entire candidate experience.

Some of the leading companies around the world - from AT&T to Facebook - have committed to improved candidate experience. Focusing on these five dimensions can pay dividends for you, too. Let’s dive into each one.

The five step candidate journey

1-DiscoverLearning about

your open opportunities

5-OnboardCompleting the

onboarding process

4-EngageSpeaking with

your hiring managers

2-ResearchResearching your company

3-ApplySubmitting

an application

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Customer Spotlight: Panini Cafe

Harry Lopez, HR Director at Panini Cafe, is responsible

for growing and retaining a team of over

750 employees across 13 locations.

In the high-turnover food and beverage industry, Mr. Lopez

knows that he must maintain a constant pipeline of quality

talent in order to grow. By diversifying his candidate sources

with Workpop, he saw a 650% increase in application volume.

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Be everywhere your candidates are.Diversify your sourcing to reach job seekers wherever they are searching, as well as attract passive candidates.

Have a clear strategy for posting to the right job boardsIn order to source effectively, you need to post to the right job boards for your specific role, industry and location. Some boards will be free and others will be paid. Research and trial and error will tell you over time which boards are best for your specific roles.

Better yet, hiring software that enables you to post across multiple job sites at once for each role ensures that you are using staff time and resources as efficiently as possible.

Optimize campaign spend closelyIf you are utilizing paid job boards, it is critical to watch your campaigns on each site closely to see which are driving the best cost per application. Checking your spend and application metrics for specific job listings and changing bids daily will give you the best return on your spend, and will ensure you aren’t wasting money on attracting a large volume of clicks but not qualified applicants. Over time, you’ll want to shift your budget to the best performing job boards for each role and eliminate sourcing methods that provide no or low return on investment.

DISCOVER:

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On average, job seekers look for jobs on up to 16 different sources. It can quickly become all-encompassing for hiring managers to ensure job listings have coverage on all the sites where your ideal job seekers may be looking for work. Plus, each site performs differently, and managing each campaign closely is a must to ensure you aren’t wasting money on inefficient spend.

“On average, job seekers look for jobs on up to 16 different sources.” 2

4Discover

The Candidate Acquisition Funnel

Cost per impression This lets you see what you are effectively paying for someone to look at your job post. If you are also seeing a low cost here, but a high cost on your cost per application, something in your job post may be dissuading candidates.

Cost per click With many sourcing providers, you pay per click (and not post) and thus see what you are paying for interested users. If your cost per click is low, but cost per applicant is high, chances are something in your application flow is likely causing users to drop off.

Cost per application This is your cost to actually receive a completed application. Note: it doesn’t mean someone is qualified, but they go through the funnel.

Cost per qualified application This can be harder to track as it requires tracking or buying a system that allows you to easily determine the ratio of qualified applicants. That said, looking at this number lets you determine the true quality of your sourcing partners. Cost per hire Finally, what did it take from start to finish to actually make a hire? Comparing this stat with your cost per qualified application can help you detect issues in your vetting process such as slow response times, delays in scheduling interviews and more.

Discover 5

6Discover

Focus on reaching passive candidates

Consider how your brand can reach these passive candidates who may not be actively searching your site or job boards for a new position. These invisible candidates are the hardest to find—but are often the most qualified hires. Leveraging references provided by your existing applicant pool can also be an effective method of sourcing passive candidates by marketing open positions to them as well if you deem they are a good fit. In addition, consider implementing an internal referral system that incentivizes your existing employees to recommend previous colleagues or peers to open roles. If you know your cost per hire, wouldn’t you rather pay that money to an employee than an outside service?

Create your own talent network

Don’t discount industry referrals. Consider which peers in your industry may be able to recommend quality candidates who applied for positions they ended up filling at their companies. Reach out to employers in your industry and build a reciprocal relationship in which you both refer candidates to each other who may be a good match. If creating your own network sounds difficult, you may want to talk to your applicant tracking system provider: while most hiring platforms don’t come with their own talent network, you may find one with its own network that you can plug into as part of being a customer.

Post everywhere your candidates are searching

Optimize your spend daily based on how sources are performing

Leverage social recruiting to attract passive job seekers

Tap into talent networks or create your own

Recommendations

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Social recruitingThere is a very good chance that your target candidates are on social networks. According to Pew Research Center’s 2016 social media study, 68% of all US adults use Facebook. Narrow the age range to between 18 and 29, and that number rises to 88%. If you’re hiring for white collar roles, you don’t want to ignore LinkedIn; 29% of online adults are on the professional networking site.

Due to these usage numbers, and its low cost, social recruiting deserves a place in your talent acquisition strategy. Posting your open positions to the networks where your ideal candidates spend time is a valuable and cost-effective step to add to your recruiting process.

When posting your roles to social networks, consider that it is not as simple as a “post it and forget it” strategy. Social platforms are built to drive conversations, and you want to actively manage any that spring up around your job post. Replying to any comments or questions quickly not only provides a better experience for the candidate, but also sends a signal to job seekers that you are invested in the hiring process -- and that they can expect good communication from your company should they decide to apply.

Look into solution providersSourcing can be so time consuming that it takes away valuable staff time spent building relationships with best candidates. We recommend partnering with a solutions provider who can automate the sourcing processes above. Ideally, your applicant tracking system (ATS) can automate much of the above in order to free up your hiring managers’ time while maximizing your ability to find the best candidates.

Action items

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Review your current sourcing channel

effectiveness

Evaluate how you may be able to automate

time-intensive sourcing tasks

Discover

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DISCOVER: Create job listings that inform and sell.Excite candidates with honest job listings that describe your ideal employee and set realistic expectations.

Job listings are often the very first time a candidate is interacting with your brand. Yet, many job descriptions are written with boilerplate details that leave candidates guessing what an actual job would entail, what a day in the life at a company would be like and how much they would actually get paid.

By crafting your job listings to appeal to your ideal employee, you demonstrate that you’ve truly considered the skills needed for the role and are clear on how their role will fit into your company’s overall workforce and daily culture. By viewing your job listings as a chance to demonstrate your company’s culture and to build a transparent relationship with candidates, you will enable job seekers to feel a personal connection to your brand from the very first interaction.

Be transparent with compensationAlthough neither candidates nor hiring managers want to tip their hand on salary negotiations, 74% of candidates say they want to see salary in the job listing. Being upfront about salary range and full compensation packages helps set expectations and facilitate clear communication with candidates from the very start. At Workpop, we have found that jobs posts that include wage information receive 50% more applicants on average. We have also found that job posts with no salary information are twice as likely to receive no applications at all!

“74% of candidates say they want to see salary in the job

listing.”

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Be specificInstead of writing a laundry list of tasks, consider writing your job descriptions as if you were describing your ideal employee, both in terms of skills and responsibilities. Describe what a day in the life of an employee in this role looks like and the elements that go into being successful in the role from day one.

Provide a glimpse into the everyday employee lifestyleWhen you’ve used the above suggestions in your job listings, your top candidates will easily be able to tell if their skills are well-suited for the job responsibilities. But skill level isn’t the only thing candidates care about in a job listing; they will also be evaluating what daily life would be like as an employee at your company. Your job listings should honestly describe the working environment at your company so candidates can easily envision themselves thriving there. Give candidates enough information to opt out if your work culture doesn’t seem like a good fit. If your office has a traditional culture with typical office hours, certainly highlight those elements. If you offer flexible options for telecommuting, non-standard vacation policies or a more decentralized workforce, you’ll want to clarify those expectations. Different cultures will attract different candidates, so it is in your best interest to be as upfront as possible about all the options your company does and doesn’t offer.

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Your job listings should include:

Salary and compensation details

Benefits packages

Perks

Specific job tasks

Typical working hours and onsite locations

Key objectives for what the role is expected to accomplish in the first year

Education and training options

Discover 9

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“Show and tell” your brand voice

In addition to outlining each role’sresponsibilities and your daily office culture, job openings are an extension of your company’s brand. When writing job listings, use the same tone and voice used in other brand or marketing assets at your company. Although hiring managers and HR staff may have the best input into job responsibilities, consider having people not in charge of hiring on your team review your job descriptions and let you know if they accurately represent everything your company has to offer.

If you use video content heavily to sell your products, consider formatting your job listings in video format as well. The content, format and method of communication for your job listings should align as closely as possible with your brand personality.

Clearly communicate compensation and benefits information

Provide details about your company’s daily culture

Use a consistent brand voice when communicating job details

Recommendations

Action items

Review your current job listings Get feedback on job listings from colleagues

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Tell your company story with an up-to-date careers site.Impress candidates with a careers site that’s always fresh and showcases your company’s story and culture.

64% of candidates will spend time researching a company before applying. Your careers page, just like your corporate homepage, should showcase how you differ from your competitors, and tell your brand story. It’s more than just a bulletin board for open positions; it is your company’s calling card and source of information for both candidates and customers on what your company values.

In addition to highlighting job postings, the way information is formatted and presented on your job listings and careers site can have a large impact on how your company culture is understood and perceived. The right information can go a long way to influencing a candidate’s impression of your brand. Attention to detail and consistency in content on your careers site signals to candidates that you’re committed to providing both a satisfactory hiring and employee experience.

RESEARCH:

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Research 11

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Keep the focus on company values front and center

Your corporate site describes how your products differ from your competitors. Your careers site should explain how that same approach influences the way you organize and manage your workforce. Consider including the following throughout your careers site:

Your company story. Describe your company’s origins, key areas of growth and client base. Your candidates will want to know where in the journey they will be joining. Some will be excited to help shape small brands and others will be seeking a history of growth and stability.

Company mission statement and values. Clearly communicating the “why” of your company allows candidates to connect with your values. If this is already in your employee handbook, modify it for your careers site.

Profiles of executive leadership and other team members. Highlight the industry expertise and personality of current employees. Candidates want to know that they will be working for and with experts and put a face to the potential new teammates.

Engaging photos and videos of your team and workplace. Ditch stock photography. Instead, create a short overview or tour video of your workplace featuring and interviewing existing employees. Connecting corporate social media accounts to your careers site is also a great option for showcasing ongoing activities.

Clearly state your company’s values and history

Humanize your brand with photos, videos and bios of existing employees

Ensure job listings, company awards and more are consistent across your online sites

Make sure your careers site can be easily updated without needing a web developer

Optimize your site for mobile devices

Recommendations

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Keep content freshSince you’ll be posting your job openings on both your site and job boards, it’s important to keep content as consistent and current as possible on your careers site to reduce confusion for candidates.

One of the biggest impediments to keeping a careers site up to date is needing an IT staff member to make updates. Ideally, your ATS will host your careers site and make it easy for hiring managers or HR directors to update job listings on their own, without needing outside help.

• Make sure all job listings have the most up-to-date information and match the content you’re syndicating on other job sites.

• Remove job listings from your careers site and job boards at the same time so candidates aren’t confused about whether a position is still available.

• Update company and employee awards, press releases and employee bios as changes occur.

• Link to social media accounts for easy cross-posting of daily activities and announcements.

Ease of use is keyFinally, don’t risk losing your best candidates because they can only browse your site while sitting in front of a laptop or desktop. Ensure that your careers site can be easily loaded and viewed on mobile devices so potential candidates can see your job listings on the go or from clicking over from an email or social media post. View your job search function from a candidate’s point of view and minimize how much digging they have to do to find relevant content and open positions on your site. Consider providing a filtering system for candidates to easily find open positions that match their skills by role, location or department.

Action items

Review your current careers site content Update and remove any old job listings

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Make it easy for candidates to apply, on any device.Provide candidates with an application form that is as simple as possible and optimized for mobile.

APPLY:

Shorten your form length to only gather the most necessary information from candidates

Reduce manual data entry by auto-populating application field

Enable candidates to create one profile that can be used for multiple applications

Ensure your site is mobile-optimized to catch passive candidates viewing job openings

Check your career website statistics to see where and how candidates are viewing your application forms

Recommendations

Apply 14

The application submission process is typically geared towards a hiring manager’s needs, not the candidate’s. Of course, no one wants to sift through 100 resumes of unqualified candidates the day a new job is posted online. Unfortunately, this fear can drive companies to swing too far in the other direction and implement complex applications that discourage qualified candidates from submitting. Smart screening tools can easily filter unqualified applications from consideration; therefore, the application process should really be designed to reduce candidate friction.

Reduce form length and minimize data entry

60% of job seekers have quit filling out an online application because of the application’s length or complexity. Many application systems ask for the same information from candidates multiple times.

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4 Dave Zielinski, “Study: Most Job Seekers Abandon Online Job

Applications,” http://www.shrm.org, (March 8, 2016).

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Not only does this turn candidates off from spending the time to fill out an application, but it creates a very long list of information for your HR staff to review just to find and filter the best candidates. You can combat this friction by making sure to:

Keep application forms and fields as short as possible. Rework forms that may be cumbersome to fill out or require applicants to type in many different fields.

Only ask questions that are absolutely required for specific roles. For instance, if you are hiring for both a front of house position and a managerial position, you wouldn’t ask candidates for both roles the same screening questions in an interview. Bring this nuance to your application materials to go beyond a standard application form.

Use an ATS that can send custom forms and surveys to candidates after they have submitted basic information, like their resume. This will allow you to capture additional information without hurting your application rate.

Enable application form fields to be filled out by uploading a resume or connecting with LinkedIn.

15 Apply 15

Ideally, once a candidate applies to one job, your platform should save their information so they never have to enter the same info twice if they apply to another role at your company in the future. You don’t need to use your application forms as the entire screening process for a role. Instead, progressively profile candidates with other tools as they move through different stages in the hiring process over time. Start with the questions that will help you drill down into an initial pool of top talent, ask questions that will make it easier to screen out unqualified candidates from the start and reduce the time spent on the initial application as much as possible.

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Optimize for applications on mobile devices Even for sites with shorter applications, a lack of user-friendly design can prevent candidates from completing the application process, especially on a mobile device. If a candidate’s first impression of your company is a long application that they can’t fully read on their phone, they are more likely to skip applying entirely. According to Jobvite Recruiter Nation, 50% of career pages are still not optimized for mobile, frustrating candidates searching for job listings.

Checking your career website’s traffic and bounce rates will provide you with a good indication of the devices candidates are using to find and view your open positions, and how long they are staying on the site to complete an application. Focus on optimizing the site for the devices driving the most traffic and optimize the content on pages with the highest bounce rate.

Walk through your own application process as a candidate, both on web and mobile

Action items

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Keep candidates updated each step of the way.Get in touch fast and maintain frequent communication with your candidates to keep them in the loop at each stage.

ENGAGE:

Too often, candidates work diligently on their applications, only to hear crickets in return. Beyond showing respect for applicants’ time, not having a formalized or quick way to respond can drive top talent into your competitors’ hands. If they have an offer from another business and haven’t received any response from you, they may already be unavailable for work by the time you are ready to move them to the next stage in the hiring process.

Get in touch with all candidates quickly at each step in the hiring processWhen it comes to candidate communication, speed matters. Your best candidates will have other options, and they will likely move fast. Value their time by setting a general outline of the screening process from the very beginning and promptly follow up at each step. Don’t forget about your unchosen candidates, either; a poor experience diminishes the likelihood that they will continue as customers, referrers or applicants in the future.

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4 ways to improve candidate communication

Application received: According to Workpop’s internal data, applicants who receive a personal message within 24 hours are 38% more likely to continue the process compared to those who don’t receive a message for up to two weeks. Send an automated email to confirm applications and set expectations for the timing of next steps.

Application rejected: Promptly inform candidates who are not selected for a job about their status and offer feedback on where they missed the mark. Not only does this create goodwill with candidates who may apply for other positions down the road, but it enables you to spend more time on working with top candidates without chasing after inquiries from every applicant.

Interview scheduling: Make it seamless for the candidate to schedule an interview with everyone on your team. Your ATS should streamline collaboration and expedite internal decision-making outcomes, especially at the interview stage.

Post-interview and offer: Don’t slow communication down after the interview. If qualified candidates have invested time interviewing and expressed continued interest after meeting the team, frequent status updates help expedite the offer stage. Communicate any delays in the offer process or changes to the role’s availability or responsibilities.

Overall, create a feedback loop that keeps candidates informed and your team organized. Having to send multiple copies of a resume or restate information that was already communicated by candidates in previous steps of the hiring process can also lengthen the process internally for your staff and signal a lack of organization behind the scenes to prospective employees. The end result should be seamless for the applicants, even if multiple internal stakeholders are involved in screening and selecting a new hire.

Customer Spotlight: Panini Cafe

Harry Lopez recommends using chat

messaging tools for communicating

with candidates.

He has found that features like the ability to bulk message

multiple applicants at once and get replies right away saves

him time, leading to a 5x faster applicant screening process.

He has also observed that candidates stay more involved and

engaged throughout the entire hiring process. Engage 18

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Go beyond email with chat and SMS

What a great candidate experience sounds like

Just as you do for your customer base, consider how your applicants communicate based on their profile and incorporate those methods into your recruitment processes. Automated or personalized responses don’t need to be limited to email or phone calls. Today’s workforce often prefers—or expects—to communicate via more informal methods such as SMS, in-platform chat, and video.

In fact, in a recent survey by Harris Poll, 41% of employers said they will reach out to candidates via text messages to schedule interviews. If your ATS has integrated SMS capabilities or a platform where candidates and hiring managers can chat in real time, you are well-positioned to maintain regular communication with your top candidates compared to your competitors.

“The easiest application and hiring process I’ve ever experienced. I applied from my smartphone, received messages right away and could respond via chat immediately.”

- Jenn W., Workpop Customer Candidate

Implement automated follow-up right when candidates submit applications

Have a clearly defined communication plan for each step in the screening process

Enable candidates to create one profile that can be used for multiple applications

Be sure to communicate directly with both selected and non-selected candidates

Use SMS, chat and non-email methods for interacting with job seekers

Recommendations

Review your current

candidate communication

process

Action items

Ask if your current ATS

supports integrated SMS or

two-way candidate chat

Set up automated

notification emails that keep

candidates in the loop

Engage 19

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Remove obstacles so new hires can hit the ground running.Create an onboarding process that ensures both candidates and staff have everything required in order to make day one productive.

The candidate experience doesn’t stop once you hire the applicant. Even after an offer letter is signed, the days between hiring a candidate and their first day of work is a critical time to keep them informed and engaged around the expectations of their job. For new hires, the first days on the job are often spent filling out paperwork with the HR department or their manager instead of jumping right into job tasks. Your existing employees’ regular tasks are equally disrupted with this routine paperwork, slowing down current projects or customer-oriented work.

Getting the “boring paperwork” out of the way prior to clocking in on the first day gets your new hires engaged from the very start and reduces questions around payroll, benefits and other important logistics.

ONBOARD:

Engage

Customer Spotlight: Panini Cafe

This time savings frees up his managers

to spend time on the floor helping

customers, instead of being stuck in the

back office doing new hire paperwork.

Panini Cafe now does all of their onboarding digitally. Harry

has found that in addition to the improved experience for his

candidates, it has allowed his team to reduce the time to start

for new hires by as much as 66%.

Onboard 20

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Plus, nothing says “inefficient” like asking for the same information twice from a new hire. If possible, utilize an onboarding system that pre-fills forms with information that the new hire has already given you during the applicant process. This not only leads to faster form completion, it also increases accuracy and reduces processing time for your payroll and HR departments.

Digitize new hire paperwork and forms

Nothing slows down a new employee’s momentum like facing a mountain of first-day paperwork. As an HR director or manager, chasing down new employees for days or weeks to get new hire paperwork completed can be avoided entirely with a paperless onboarding process.

Whether you have a standard set of documentation for all new hires, or specific forms for different roles, use a system that can digitally send these documents to new hires as soon as they sign an offer letter. This includes being able to:

• Digitally issue stock and custom documents as standard web forms that new hires can fill out online prior to their first day.

• Enable applicants to apply eSignatures to paperwork and use the same signature on every document still available.

• Digitally submit conditional certifications, such as a food handler’s license or proof of work eligibility, and communicate progress on any required certifications or training prior to their start date.

• Distribute standard training materials to candidates online, so your staff isn’t spending their time repeating basic information to all new hires.

Transform onboarding documents into online forms that can be pre-filled with new hire information

Send a welcome message to new hires with links to required paperwork

Digitally create and track the completion of new hire tasks through your ATS

Recommendations

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Set up automatic onboarding task notifications

Once you have a document ready for a new employee, utilize your onboarding system to automatically notify them via email, SMS and/or chat that they have a task to complete. Your ATS’s paperless onboarding system should be able to track when paperwork has been signed, as well as notify new hires when they need to:

Your goal is to remove a lot of the back and forth during the onboarding process, creating a better experience for both your new hires and your managers who don’t want to stop and start their regular work to deal with paperwork and standard training questions. Moving away from an analog system not only improves your staff’s efficiency, but builds trust with new employees, reduces confusion about logistics and shows a commitment to job satisfaction even in routine actions.

• Sign up for company-issued devices, such as laptops or phone plans, and route the information to your IT department.

• Communicate direct deposit information to payroll staff.

• Create online accounts with third-party accounts with 401k and insurance providers.

• Register with required trade organizations.

Action items

Review your current onboarding process Evaluate how you can digitize your new hire paperwork

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ConclusionThe candidate experience is the new battleground for hiring and retaining high-quality talent. You must offer a modernized experience to attract job seekers before, during, and after they apply. It is no longer enough to simply be where your candidates are looking for work.

Leading companies have discovered that investing in the candidate experience is the most efficient path to recruiting better talent for less time and money. Well-crafted job listings, a streamlined careers site, consistent and modern communication and digital onboarding will demonstrate a commitment to the most qualified and hard-to-reach candidates. By focusing on the candidate experience throughout the entire hiring process, you’ll start attracting more qualified applicants and successfully turn them into excited new hires.

At Workpop, we understand the importance of providing a great candidate experience.With an ATS-powered experience, you will attract stronger candidates, save time, and keep your team focused on their goals.

• Use multiple sourcing methods to find both active and passive candidates.

• Write detailed job listings that provide the candidate with the details they need to evaluate the position.

• Have an up-to-date careers site that tells your company’s story and gets the candidate excited to become a part of it.

• Communicate quickly and often with candidates through modes of communication they prefer.

• Streamline your onboarding process to create happy new hires who can start adding value on day one.

23Conclusion

For more information, visit https://www.workpop.com or contact us at sales@workpop.com.

Workpop is the world's first Applicant Hiring System that doesn't just track applicants, but delivers the best candidate experience required to win in today's competitive talent market. Through modern design that showcases your brand and intuitive software that encourages candidate interaction rather than hindering it, Workpop helps you attract and hire the best.

Our advanced technology automates sourcing, removes friction and engages candidates from the moment they see your job post. Our user-friendly screening tools empower managers to meaningfully communicate with applicants and to make thoughtful decisions faster. And our paperless onboarding system drastically reduces costs while allowing new hires to contribute immediately on day one.

Finally, Hiring Software that Candidates and Employers Love

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