Why Candidate Experience Matters More than Ever

Why Candidate Experience Matters More than EverWhy Candidate Experience Matters More than EverWhy Candidate Experience Matters More than Ever Doucette, Director, Global Talent Acquisition People define candidate experience in many ways. In short, its the collective results of all engagements and interactions that you have with candidates during the marketing and hiring process. Many of these interactions are technology-driven such as your career site, job postings, social media interactions and the like while other interactions, such as interviews, are more personal.Regardless of the format, one theme unites all of these activities communication. The best recruiters that Ive worked with both past and present have always provided candidates with consistent communication whether the news welches good, bad or ugly.Given the scope of these activities, imagine if just half of the candidates you interacted with remained interested in future opportunities at your company. If that were the case, do you think you would have an issue finding talent? Thats the power of delivering a great candidate experience. Lets dig into some data that shows why the candidate experienceis more important than ever.Numbers Dont LieNo other organization is more focused on candidate experience than The Talent Board. Their primary mission is to facilitate the evolution of the employment candidate experience. Since 2011, this non-profit group organizes the CandE Awards and releases their findings in an annual report.Their 2015 CandE Research Reportfound that33% of candidates with a negative experience intended to share the news publically via social media41% of candidates who had a poor overall experience intended to take their loyalty elsewhereKeep in mind that candidates will share their experiences regardless if they were good or bad.In fact, in todays connected world, candidate opinions are quickly disseminated and shared, primarily through online reviews. In this context, companies would be wise to manage online reviews and proactively addressnegative online reviews. This engagement is the crux of a meaningful employer brand. On the positive side, the CandE report found that of the candidates who had a positive candidate experience62% will increase their relationship with a brands products and networks78% would refer someone in the future62% would apply againMost significant were these findings86% of candidates report that not receiving a basic application confirmation email creates a bad candidate experience22% of candidates who received an email said the communication was weak and inconsistent73% reported never having received a communication at allClearly, good communication is the driver of a positive candidate experience. In fact, according to the Talent Board survey, candidates rated communication as the number one way to engage talent.What exactly are the characteristics of good communication as part of the candidate experience? Your communications sho uld instill trust between you and your candidates be consistent and honestAvoid making promises you cant keep. Conversely, dont dance around truthsAbove all, be clear. Minimize extraneous words. Express gratitude for the candidates time and interest in your companyRemember every interaction within the candidate experience will impact your companys overall brand, favorably or not. A well-written confirmation email can help you build a community of people who remain interested in your company for years to come, regardless of the outcome of their job application. The All-Important InterviewIf a great candidate experience is about good communication, the interview is a crucial opportunity.Very often, as I sit in interviews, I can feel the interviewer forcing the candidate to sell themselves. This approach is both outdated and ineffective. The old ask and tell interview style doesnt provide meaningful information to the candidate or the employer.Interviewing is a two-way street you hav e to sell as much as you tell. Focus instead on creating a solution-based conversation (or what some refer to as behavioral interview questions ) in which you present the aufgabe and discuss the solution with the candidate.The idea of a candidate experience isnt necessarily new or even innovative. In fact, its been discussed and analyzed for years. Isnt it time to take a closer look at how you can improve your own candidate experience?Author BioMatt Doucette serves as the Global Head of Talent Acquisitions at Monster. In this capacity he oversees the companys recruitment delivery and operations initiatives, supporting all departmental functions, from sales to technology. Additionally, Matt leads management efforts for advanced development of strategic recruitment initiatives, recruitment delivery, talent success and talent strategy.Prior to joining Monster, Matt served as a Recruiter for Allscripts, helping to improve recruitment delivery across multiple functions and also acted as a compliance expert for the Talent Team.Matt is a proud veteran and served in the United States Marine Corps as an Infantryman where he held responsibilities with small unit leadership. He credits his leadership and teamwork experiences during this time as the foundation of his career success.

The Workplace is No Place for a Generational Divide

The Workplace is No Place for a in richtungerational DivideWork is No Place for a Generational DivideThe Workplace is No Place for a Generational DivideI once read a controversial blog postthat was likely intended to rile readers more than make a point. The idea the writer wanted to force feed to older readers was that any work task they can do, the 20-something members of Gen Y (Millennials) can do better.The post riled up enough people that more than 200 readers registered comments in a matter of days. Taken as a whole, they werent pretty.The writer made the following assertionsGen Y is more productive because they can gather information faster.Gen Y is better at communicating.Gen Y has better career mobility (i.e., theyre more adept at job hopping) while Baby Boomers arent as comfortable with it.Gen Y turns to entrepreneurship when the going gets tough in the job market, even if it means moving back home with their Baby Boomer parents.Well, Ill add my comment to all this right her e What a load of generalized, stereotypical horse dungIf it were taken as fact, then - what the heck - lets stop the world from spinning and kick all the Boomers into orbit Work will be so much better for everyone with staff flitting around from job to job, everyone conducting job interviews via email or texting, and giving birth to lots of new small companies while their CEOs text mom and dad with their stellar communication skills YO RENTS WENZ DINR 2NITE? (Of course, itll be hard for the rents to respond since theyll be floating somewhere above the ozone layer.)Cant we all just get along? Our society is polarized enough with political viewpoints. We dont need to feel segregated and polarized in the workplace as well. For instance, the writer boasts of Gen Ys superior command of technology, as if Gen Xers and Boomers scream in horror every time they see a laptop or an iPhone. Puh-leeze...they were the users as well as the inventors of the first computersIf only the generational di vide were that clear-cut. But its not. While Ive seen Millennials who are not as addicted to technology as others, Ive also seen Gen Xers and Boomers who are as technologically with it, if not even more so. The better homilie should be how each generation can learn from the others. So, heres how I would rewrite those four assertionsGen Y is more adept at using information technology, and can teach their older colleagues how to use it better.Gen Y can communicate, but communication can only be effective if you can be clear with everyone, no matter how old they are. At the same time, Boomers can communicate the wisdom of work that comes with age and experience.Gen Y may have better career mobility now, but when they settle down and start families as they age, theyll want more stability - just like their parents do today.When the going gets tough in the job market, you do what you gotta do, even it means starting your own business. Just be sure you can pay the rent or mortgage while yo ure in the startup phase.

Internship Interview Questions to Ask

Internship Interview Questions to AskInternship Interview Questions to AskInternship Interview Questions to Ask DeZubeA good interview can be a lot like a good conversation. Thats especially true when youre hiring an in eigener sache. Why? Since youre bedrngnis making a permanent hire, you can afford to be more relaxed.Most college students dont have on-the-job experiences to discuss. But when interviewing fr sich selbsts, you can always chat about the three things that are common to all studentsWhere they are nowWhere they hope to beHow the internship can help get them thereMore importantly, your interview should help you determine if the intern has the skills, knowledge and temperament required to succeed in your business.These interview questions can be helpful when hiring internsWhy did you choose to go to XYZ College? Tells you What type of environment the intern youre interviewing is comfortable in or learns well in, says Lisa Gavigan, director of career services at Wheaton Col lege in Norton, Massachusetts. Someone whos at a smaller school prefers a relationship-based learning environment, she says.What do you want to do with your degree?Tells you How to structure the internship and whether the applicant is a cultural fit for your business. We like entrepreneurial-minded interns, says Everett OKeefe, CEO of The Solution Machine, a Fresno, California, marketing consulting firm. If the interns goal is to succeed in the corporate world and youre a smaller business, he or she would likely be better off at a larger company.Is this part of an official college program?Tells you If the candidate will have accountability. If a student isnt working for college credit, hes a volunteer, not an intern. He may not be as responsible as an intern who knows hes going to be evaluated at the end of the semester.What would make this internship successful for you? What are you looking to have learned by the time youve completed the internship?Tells you What the intern wants t o get out of the internship and whether youre recruiting the right intern. If a student tells you his ideal outcome is a permanent job, but you dont offer an internship leading to a hire, he needs to know the situation.Dont fret if the students answer is all about what he wants. Expect to hear answers that are a bit more self-serving than with a prospective employee, Gavigan says.What single quality attracted you to this organization (or position)? Tells you Whether youre interviewing a student whos done his homework or one whos applying in a shot-gun manner. If its a single quality, you can see what the students priority is, Gavigan says.What skills do you have that will help you in this internship and where did you get them?Tells you If the student can make the connection between learning and doing, then hes likely capable of seeing how his small project fits within the business. Its an indication hes the right intern to hire.Have you ever been part of a team where someone didnt p ull his weight? How did you deal with that?Tells you How he works with peers. The best answer is the one that shows the intern can manage the situation himself and isnt a tattletale I talked to the person and when they still didnt do the work, I picked up the slack and didnt partner with him again.Tell me about a time or situation when youve had to teach a concept to a peer or another person.Tells you If youd be hiring an intern with customer service skills. The best answers include patience, reading a peers level of understanding without judgment and addressing the learners needs at that moment.Are you happier with structure or with a more fluid environment? Do you enjoy doing a lot of different things or one thing really well?Tells you Whether the intern will be happy working in a small business environment where employees need to be flexible multi-taskers.When recruiting interns, look for entrepreneurship majors. Theyll be happier to join you because they want to see how a small business is run, says Debbie Young, director of internships and applied experiences at the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno.How well do you handle disorganization and does it bother you?Tells you Whether the intern can bounce from one project to the next without getting frustrated. The entrepreneurial mind has to have a certain level of ADD to see opportunities and jump on them, OKeefe says. You have to be able to set things aside and work on the immediate need.When the interns you hire have to use technology or software, ask them to rate their ability to use it on a scale of 1 to 10.Tells you If they have the skills you need. If someone rates themselves a 9 or 10, Ill follow up with a couple of questions to double-check them on that, OKeefe says.When you offer the job, you can ask the recruited intern to think about what he can contribute. Ask them to think of three projects they can accomplish a small one, a personal one and something that will benef it the organization after theyve left, Gavigan says.And ask one final question when the internship is nearing its end Do you know anyone from your school whod want to do this internship next semester?