The Candidate Journey: Attract and Retain Top Talent

Active job seekers consider an employer’s brand before sending a job application. Many have had a poor candidate experience, with the majority sharing their experiences online or with their confidants. Recruiters must personalize the process and maintain transparency for tech professionals to stand apart in the market.

This article walks companies through the candidate journey and highlights the importance of a positive candidate experience and the impact employer branding has in the tech space. It also covers the best practices for optimizing the journey, such as a good job application timeline and how AI and technology can improve recruitment.

Understanding the Stages of the Candidate Journey

Job applicants typically go through the candidate journey, or touchpoints, when interacting with a potential employer. It starts when the candidate becomes aware of the company and ends when they’re onboarded With well-defined recruitment process stages, a candidate journey can drive recruitment success and increase employee retention for tech recruiters. The following are typical stages:

• Awareness
• Consideration
• Interest
• Application
• Selection
• Hiring
• Onboarding

Stage 1: Awareness — Building Your Employer Brand

The journey starts when the candidate becomes aware of a company through a job ad, online post or an employee testimonial video. Having strong employer branding can help attract top talent and reduce hiring costs.

The following can be useful strategies to grow a company’s visibility:

• Describing the company’s culture and values
• Showcasing employee benefits on the company’s website
• Crafting informative and engaging job descriptions
• Announcing vacancies on social media or tech job boards
• Creating and leveraging employee advocacy programs to get the word out
• Participating in boot camps, industry events and job fairs

Stage 2: Consideration — Engaging Potential Candidates

Job seekers actively explore the company and its opportunities at this stage. Most candidates want to know about the organization’s culture and values before accepting a job offer.

These strategies can help recruiters better engage potential candidates:

• Creating informative and compelling job descriptions
• Showcasing the company culture through various media
• Offering insightful content related to career advice or development
• Creating targeted ads that reach their ideal candidates
• Being transparent and authentic when communicating.

Researching prospects can help deliver an exceptional candidate experience. Plus, it shows the company has genuine interest in the candidates.

Stage 3: Interest — Nurturing Candidate Relationships

At this stage, the candidate has decided to apply for a job. They actively research the role and contact the human resources team or employees to understand the company better. Tech recruiters can build a great first impression by using the following strategies:

• Nurturing positive relationships with employees and making them brand ambassadors
• Implementing a candidate relationship management system
• Creating personalized email campaigns
• Sharing video reels from behind the scenes or a typical workday
• Creating team profiles with bios and photos
• Tracking online mentions and comments and responding on time

Stage 4: Application — Streamlining the Process

The next touchpoint is application. At this stage, candidates start sending out resumes and cover letters. They may register in the recruitment portal and complete their application online. However, the application stage can be confusing with many job seekers quitting before completing lengthy online applications. Tech recruiters can streamline applications for candidates by:

• Creating simple application forms and eliminating redundant questions
• Using pre-employment assessments to test candidates’ skills
• Providing applicants with clear instructions and expectations
• Offering mobile-friendly application options, as many job seekers use mobile devices
• Reviewing applicants and responding to job seekers on a rolling basis

How companies communicate at this stage can determine the perception candidates have about them. Timely communication creates a positive impression and sets the momentum for future applicants.

Stage 5: Selection — Creating a Fair and Transparent Process

Recruiters evaluate the suitability of candidates by reviewing the candidate’s resumes and conducting interviews. The goal of screening is to find candidates with the right skills, experience and organizational fit. Subjective bias can creep in and deny good candidates a chance. Recruiters can create a fair playing ground for all candidates by:

• Using structured interviews to ensure consistency in evaluation
• Applying skill tests and behavioral assessments to gauge their proficiency
• Providing timely feedback and clear communication to candidates
• Encouraging candidates to ask questions about the company or role

Stage 6: Hiring — Sealing the Deal

At this point, recruiters know who to hire to fill the open position. They generally call or email the candidate to inform them of the decision and then send out a job offer. The standard industry salary often acts as a benchmark during negotiations.

Recruiters also prepare the necessary paperwork and contracts. They then onboard candidates to the company’s systems and arrange an induction meeting. New hires buddy with seasoned employees who can advise them.

Maintaining a positive relationship with candidates is crucial. Recruiters should tell candidates why they were unsuccessful. This allows people to better prepare for similar positions.

Stage 7: Onboarding — Ensuring a Smooth Transition

With the help of HR managers and staff, the tech candidates now transition into full-time employees. Having a well-designed onboarding process can improve employee retention and productivity.

An effective onboarding process typically covers these areas:

• Preboarding activities to engage new hires before their start date
• Offering first-day orientation programs
• Assigning mentors to new hires
• Providing training and resources to new staff
• Setting clear expectations and goals before work starts
• Obtaining feedback from new hires to improve the process

Measuring and Optimizing the Candidate Journey

Recruitment metrics are essential. They allow recruiters to optimize the candidate journey. Key metrics to track during recruitment include:

• Application completion rate: The percentage of applicants who complete a job application against those who started.
• Time-to-hire: The period from when a candidate applies for a job until they’re hired.
• Offer acceptance rate: The percentage of candidates who formally accept a job offer.

Post-interview surveys and online reviews provide insights about the overall candidate experience. These include obstacles, patterns and pain points. Recruiters can then adjust strategies based on candidate feedback.

Mastering the Candidate Journey for Recruitment Success

A smooth candidate journey improves employer perception, attracts quality candidates and leads to higher acceptance rates. It also results in better employee retention and enhances recruitment success. Tech recruiters need to track metrics, act on feedback and continue with optimization.

Key highlights:

• Creating awareness is crucial to building an employer brand.
• Informative job descriptions can help engage candidates better.
• Simplifying application forms can lead to higher application rates.
• Effective onboarding can ensure a smooth transition.

Want the top talent? Review your candidate journey and adjust recruitment strategies to deliver the perfect experiences.