Think of your favorite online retailer. How was the shopping experience? You probably have never thought much about it because shopping was intuitive and as soon as you ordered, you had an update from the company. Seamless!
Now, imagine yourself as an hourly job seeker. It is stressful to look for a job. Hourly, entry level, and low wage workers have dozens of potential employer options. Job seekers are searching through job ads to get a sense of what a brand can offer them. They are on the go, applying to many positions and they must jump through hoops to apply to a job. Oftentimes, applicants never hear back in response to an application.
The truth is, job seekers are customers. Do you think they are judging you as an employer based on your recruiting process? Of course they are! Just like consumers, candidates are making decisions about you through the recruiting process. If you are not actively and positively engaging them throughout this experience, you’ve lost them.
What’s more, if they do become a hire, the employee experience has already begun with the candidate experience. Turnover starts the minute someone applies for a job. If you have an employee turnover problem, it is natural to look at the employee experience. Another option is to go back to the source – where did the organization’s relationship with that individual begin? Before becoming an employee, every hire you make is a candidate. According to Brandon Hall Group, organizations that invest in employer branding are three times more likely to make a quality hire.
With 80 million hourly workers in the US and a 50% turnover rate in the hourly space, millions of workers every year are potentially having an experience with your brand. How does your app stack up? How are you displaying your brand? What does the follow up with candidates look like?
Job seekers expect the same level of attention, interaction and feedback they would receive as a customer. If you want a leg up on the competition, the branding strategy of your recruiting process must be a priority.
How To Build a Positive Brand Image with your Recruiting Process?
I think we can all agree that candidate experience is important. How, then, do you improve your own?
Much of the recruiting process is technology driven – job board postings, navigating the company career page, local job advertising, and the application itself. If you don’t make it easy for someone to apply, they simply won’t. If you are looking to reduce your cost per hire, hire qualified talent faster, or increase applicant volume for hourly positions, make sure you have considered the following questions:
- Where are you posting your application? Choose your sources based on job type and location.
- How long does it take to complete your application? Respecting the job seekers time is one of, if not THE, biggest indicators of success attracting applications.
- Is your application mobile friendly? It needs to be to attract the growing number of job seekers applying to jobs from their phone.
- Does your application require a resume? Keep in mind, most hourly candidates don’t have a resume.
Now go a step further. Much of recruiting process is also people driven, such as time to hear from a recruiter, social media postings, and communication with hiring managers and recruiters. You will have an easier time hiring the right hourly talent if you use the following people components to strengthen your brand:
- Follow up with a candidate FAST. Studies show the first employer to reach out and schedule an interview with a candidate will likely make the hire. After 48 hours, your chances of connecting with a candidate drop off.
- Meet job seekers on their terms. Text is the communication tool of choice for hourly job seekers.
- Make sure your internal handoff of candidates is seamless. If your candidates are going from recruiters to hiring managers make sure a smooth transition is in place.
Whether you like it or not, you are building a brand image with your recruiting process. Will it be positive or negative? The choice is up to you.