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Writer's pictureJay Thandi

Improving Hiring with Better Candidate Experience Strategies: Insights from HR and Talent professionals to improve Recruitment



Creating better candidate experiences - handshake image

Introduction

In the competitive world of recruitment, both candidates and companies face significant challenges. While candidates often struggle with communication breakdowns, delayed feedback, overly demanding tasks and salary offers that can be construed as less than completive; companies grapple with identifying the right talent amid a sea of irrelevant applicants, candidates with poorly written CVs, less than professional approaches to interviews and a host of other issues.

 

I spoke with professionals who have been responsible for hiring at companies such as Dovetail Games and Casio, discussing issues they’ve faced and the strategies they’ve implemented to overcome challenges and create a more positive recruitment process.

 

Candidate Experiences: The Common Pain Points

 

I spoke with a number of candidates who’ve been through the recruitment process recently, all facing a number of common issues, but also some having great experiences.

 

Whilst many we have spoken with report feeling ghosted after initial interviews, dealing with inconsistent communication, or being asked to complete tasks that are overly demanding or irrelevant, one candidate told me about her frustration of being in a process for over 2 months. Having presented a task and then been ghosted by the recruiter, she’s frustrated as she liked the company and the role, but felt the process has been quite ‘stop start’ which has left her feeling fatigued.

 

On the other hand, another candidate shared the opposite experience, praising a company for its transparent and timely communication, which made the entire process more bearable, even when she didn’t get the job. She did secure a job elsewhere, and found the task to be a bit of a relief as it was a high level plan opposed to an exhaustive task.

                 

Another candidate also  told us of his positive experience in his job search, and how working with a recruiter actually help him realise more about his value and changed the trajectory of his career and helped him to not just secure a promotion but a step above. Although he was operating at a higher level, he didn’t fully appreciate his value in the market.

 

The final candidate we spoke to said they found job description poorly written and that people from other teams and department didn’t understand the difference between a specialist marketer and a generalist. She found that roles advertised in her area of expertise, usually come with expectations that she cover areas outside of her remit and that other professionals in her field should actually cover.

 

These experiences highlight a crucial point: candidates value clear communication, timely feedback, and transparency above all else. When these elements are missing, even the most promising job opportunity can become a source of stress and disillusionment.

 

Sam and Fiona: Different Industries, Similar Solutions

 

Sam at Casio and Fiona at Dovetail Games operate in different industries — consumer electronics and gaming, respectively — but they share a commitment to improving the candidate experience through thoughtful, candidate-centric strategies.

 

Communication and Transparency

Both Sam and Fiona emphasise the importance of communication and transparency throughout the recruitment process. At Casio, Sam has implemented screening tools to manage the influx of applicants, ensuring that only the most relevant candidates move forward. This streamlines the process and allows the recruitment team to focus on meaningful interactions with candidates. Sam also prioritises clear communication at every stage, ensuring that candidates are never left in the dark about where they stand.

 

Similarly, Fiona at Dovetail Games is passionate about maintaining transparency and honesty with candidates. She ensures that all candidates, successful or not, receive meaningful feedback throughout the process to help candidates in their job search even if it is elsewhere. Fiona’s commitment to transparency extends to how she handles preboarding and onboarding, making sure that new hires feel supported and valued from the moment they accept an offer.

 

Talent Pools and Long-Term Relationships

Another similarity between Sam and Fiona’s approaches is their focus on building and maintaining long-term relationships with candidates. Sam at Casio keeps a talent pool of candidates who may not have been the right fit for a particular role but showed great potential and a positive attitude. These candidates are often considered for future roles. Sam believes in the importance of meeting people in-person to ensure the right cultural and chemistry fit for the organisation. Although she noted this makes the process slightly longer, it’s integral to their hiring process.

 

Fiona takes a similar approach at Dovetail Games, where she values candidates who demonstrate a strong cultural fit, even if they aren’t selected for the role they initially applied for. She maintains contact with these candidates, often reapproaching them for other, more relevant opportunities in the future, especially if they’ve demonstrated a great attitude that aligns with the companies values.

 

Addressing AI Challenges

Both are also acutely aware of the challenges specific to their industries presented by Artificial Intelligence. Sam has recognised the issues caused by AI-generated CVs and the need to sift through inflated skills or acronyms to sound relevant, ensuring that the focus remains on genuine skills and experience. For digital hires she wants to see some semblance of their personality on their CV, the value they offer in their current roles and who they are outside of work. Also for people applying to creative roles, have an up to date portfolio!

Fiona also noted seeing a rise AI written CVs, as people try to make themselves relevant for a role they’re not right for. Often, she notes, the CV is poorly written and doesn’t always make sense, and these candidates will struggle during conversations where they lack experience and knowledge for the role. Dovetail Games also include screening questions as part of their process to understand how people portray themselves, and it’s this area where Fiona AI can be a useful tool for applicants with protected characteristics or may be neurodiverse. This can allow people to tweak their responses, but should be a rounding of their response and not purely written by AI.

 

 

Tips for your search and navigating the market

Sam stresses people need to show their softer skills when interviewing, how do you communicate with others, do you keep up with the latest industry trends? How do you communicate this? As the labour market is tight and competitive at the moment, people need to find the best way to articulate themselves and reflect this in their interviews. They need to be authentic to who they are and not try to pretend to be what they imagine the team/company is looking for.

 

Fiona, on the other hand, has noted the impact of COVID-19 on the gaming industry, where rapid hiring and salary inflation have led to a challenging job market for mid-level professionals. She also points out that many younger candidates, who entered the workforce during the pandemic, may need to adapt to new ways of working and have to stand out in a crowded and competitive market. Fiona encourages these candidates to go back to basics—networking, crafting standout CVs, and thoroughly preparing for interviews – to secure the right next opportunity.

 

Feedback and Continuous Improvement

Both Sam and Fiona are committed to providing detailed, constructive feedback to candidates, seeing it as a vital part of the recruitment process. At Casio, Sam ensures that feedback is factual and actionable, helping candidates understand what went well and what could be improved for future opportunities. Fiona is equally dedicated to this principle at Dovetail Games, where she actively seeks feedback from new hires to continually refine and improve the recruitment process.

 

Conclusion: Building a Better Recruitment Process

 

The experiences shared by candidates, along with the strategies implemented by Sam at Casio and Fiona at Dovetail Games, provide valuable insights into what can work in recruitment to create better candidate experiences. Clear communication, transparency, and a commitment to long-term relationships are key elements that both companies have successfully integrated into their processes.

 

For companies looking to enhance their recruitment strategies, Solis can work with businesses to improve their hiring processes and secure top talent, but also be trusted to ensure the process is respectful and engaging for candidates.

 

In today’s competitive job market, partnering with Solis can be a game-changer, allowing companies to attract top talent whilst ensuring your business retains a positive reputation as a potential employer. This holistic approach to recruitment is what ultimately leads to better hires, stronger teams, and long-term success.


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