An IBM report exploring the far-reaching impact of candidate experience found that people who were satisfied with their experience of the recruitment process were 38% more likely to accept a job offer than those who were not.
Looking beyond the job acceptance rate, candidate experience can inform whether applicants apply for additional positions at the hiring company - or if they go elsewhere. An astounding 80% of people were more likely to apply if they had a positive impression of the process.
These numbers merely reflect the shift happening in what candidates expect from a user experience. The traditional way of dealing with job applications is slowly fading away and the candidate experience is rightfully becoming a central focus of recruitment.
Transparency in recruitment processes
Candidates now expect more transparency in hiring and companies need to provide that - or risk being an unattractive employer to the growing workforce. Applicants want to understand the purpose of each step of the recruitment process, with feedback when possible, and be treated with due respect.
Deloitte’s 2017 report, ‘Candidate Experience: Creating an impact or burning cash?’ highlighted the importance of candidates leaving the hiring process in a better, more informed place from where they started.
There are tools recruiters can use to help ensure candidates leave the process more informed - one of those being psychometric tests.
"Psychometric tests, along with being an essential part of any objective recruitment process, can help provide value to candidates"
However, the traditional legacy of psychometric testing within recruitment has been centered around very detailed reports and long individual debriefing sessions provided only to those candidates who make it to the final stages of the process. With the ongoing shift in candidate expectations, that method of feedback simply no longer works.
What do candidates say?
Job candidate Carl Verrier found himself pleasantly surprised after he finished he applied for a job at Mentimeter.
The first round comprised of psychometric testing through Alva - and he received his feedback immediately:
"The output of my personality test opened my mind to new positions and confirmed leads I envisaged. Digging deeper in areas of growth, allowed me to reflect on potential inquiries I could formulate to find a suitable work environment maximizing my potential.
"Feedback (from the personality test results) is great as it facilitates the identification of areas for improvement and orient our search towards roles matching our personal traits"
Alva’s ability to automatically deliver instant feedback enables the candidate to leave the hiring process having gained something - regardless of whether there were five or five hundred candidates. Every applicant is treated with the same respect.
And what do candidates receive? Well - this! (Note: this personality profile is not based on any person, it's entirely illustrative.)
All this, whilst still saving recruiters time - the exact number of hours a recruiter can spend on giving individual feedback can vary from one to two hours per candidate.
It’s understandable why traditionally feedback is only provided to the precious few of those who make it to the end of the hiring process! But what would it look like if that didn’t need to be the case - what if instant feedback was available?
How does it help recruiters?
Linnea Bywall, Head of People at Alva, had to hire 28 people within the last 6 months. She knew this would not be an easy feat when she took it on and has some key takeaways from the entire experience.
"I would not have been able to do this as quickly, or as well, without Alva’s automated feedback. There is simply not enough time in my day."
As a recruiter, I was able to spend time conducting structured interviews to get the most accurate understanding of who the candidates were and how they would fit for the role while being able to utilize the insights the tests provided. And I didn’t have to feel bad that the candidates who didn’t make it through didn’t get anything out of the process!”
Not having to provide individual feedback after psychometric testing also means that recruiters do not need training or certification. They can be up and running with the platform and sending out tests to any number of candidates within minutes of signing up.
Short, sweet - and to the point.
Providing recruiters and candidates with concise feedback in an easy-to-read format allows both parties to make informed decisions about what type of candidate or job is going to make the best fit.
Candidate experience and HR technology continue to evolve. The HR community has cutting-edge tech at its fingertips to make hiring better and to help make providing feedback easier and remove the burden of administrative tasks.
All the while ensuring that candidates are treated fairly and allowing you as a recruiter to focus on taking care of your talent pool, nurturing the right candidates, and making sure you hire the best person for the job.
