Which part of the candidate experience do you think employers need to focus on most?
The secret to attracting and hiring the best talent for your company’s open roles is to provide a positive experience at each stage of the hiring process. We asked several talent and recruiting managers with Robert Half’s administrative and customer support practice group to address the question above, so we could gather their insights on how companies can better engage and impress potential hires.
Based on their responses, here are five things that employers can do to improve the experience for job seekers:
- Prioritize communication
- Ask yourself why a job seeker would accept your offer
- Focus on what the resume doesn’t provide
- Work to build a strong rapport with candidates
- Offer the full package
1. Prioritize communication
The most valuable aspect of a candidate’s experience is communication. Proactively communicate details such as how long an interview process will take and changes in the organization they should be aware of. If they aren’t hired for a particular role, let them know why they weren’t selected. Providing this last piece of information is important because it helps candidates position themselves more effectively for future opportunities.
Tony Fasano, practice director
2. Ask yourself why a job seeker would accept your offer
Employers need to emphasize the “why” more than ever before. Why should this candidate accept your position instead of the many other offers they are receiving in today’s market? Candidates have options, so employers and hiring managers need to promote the benefits of working for their organization and use market data.
They also need to make a competitive and compelling offer to the candidate. The offer should consider benefits, company culture, and hybrid or remote work options. From a candidate standpoint, research from Robert Half’s latest Salary Guide shows that more than half of job seekers want employers to provide remote work options. This data tells us that to attract top talent, flexible work options should be on the table.
Lauren Stewart, practice director
3. Focus on what the resume doesn’t provide
Spend less time evaluating previous experience listed on the candidate’s resume and more time focusing on what their resume doesn’t provide, such as skills and other capabilities the candidate offers. Also, when interviewing a candidate, it’s imperative to provide feedback quickly if you’d like to move forward with presenting an offer.
If you want to expand your candidate pool, hybrid or remote work is very attractive to current job seekers. Candidates are typically interviewing for three or more positions at a time, so it’s far more likely they will select a role that provides flexibility. Consider that three in five positions now offer a hybrid opportunity.
It is vital to humanize the employee-employer relationship, especially in this market.
Lynda Norris, talent manager
4. Work to build a strong rapport with candidates
Making a positive connection with the candidate and consistently improving your recruitment process is essential in a competitive job market where employers are challenged with identifying skilled talent. An attractive brand and industry reputation can maximize your chances of attracting the best applicants.
Another tip is to provide a positive experience when screening candidates for a position. Applicants will always review a company’s rating on job boards, so it’s imperative that the employer is fully transparent and communicates the work environment and organizational culture.
Maintaining relationships with candidates is another critical factor. With remote work, more opportunities are now available, and there is wider access to candidate pools. Candidates should be considered for a variety of positions, too. If a candidate isn’t hired for one opportunity, be sure to save their information, so they can be considered later for future opportunities.
Louis Ascolese, practice director
5. Offer the full package
Compensation has always been important and should remain a priority through the remainder of 2022 and beyond. However, job seekers have become increasingly more interested in the additional benefits an employer can offer, such as remote or hybrid flexibility, increased paid time off, tuition reimbursement, or something as simple as a “Zoom-free Friday” work schedule.
Bolstering benefits packages can help companies attract and retain top talent and differentiate their offers at a time when candidates are receiving multiple competitive offers simultaneously.
James McField, branch director, assistant vice president
Robert Half recruiters (top row, from left): Lynda Norris and Tony Fasano; (bottom row, from left): Louis Ascolese, Lauren Stewart and James McField.
Hiring for administrative and customer support roles?
Robert Half is featured on Forbes’ 2022 list of America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms (#1). For details on how our recruiters can help you find skilled professionals for administrative and customer support jobs and to search our database of job candidates, visit this page.
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