News and views

How to deliver the best candidate experience

Written by Giles Heckstall-Smith | 01-Feb-2021 12:50:00

45% of candidates say they don't hear from their new employer after they've accepted a job.

Candidate experience is being discussed and debated more than ever today and for good reason – it’s critical to recruiters but even more importantly, critical to business too.

Research this year conducted by reed.co.uk asked 4,000 people about their expectations and aspirations as they look for their next role.  A staggering 73% of candidates agreed a negative experience during the hiring process will impact how they view your products and services.

Of those…

  • 38% would share their experience with family and friends
  • 33% would not use products and services in the future
  • 32% would simply not apply to the company again

Only 3% of those people who apply for roles with companies will be successful, so it’s vital that we consider the other 97% as much as those that progress past the initial application or are made an offer.

Our applicant tracking system handled 30 million applications for candidates across our clients last year (2020), giving us great insight and understanding about what candidates need from their experience. Their experience is a core focus of how we develop our recruitment software to meet and exceed their expectations.

In direct response to candidate needs, we’ve delivered significant new features with candidate experience in mind.

Careers websites

Not every company has the budget to commission a creative agency to build a careers website but they are vital to informing and engaging potential hires.

Our ATS offers flexible careers websites that put you in control of your own careers information pages to publish, copy, include images and video to tell your story, inform and engage your audience and encourage people to apply.

Media rich adverts

We live in a world where visual media is delivered through our devices leaving text based job adverts feeling dull in comparison and often unread or absorbed on the small screen.

Included as standard in our ATS System, media rich job adverts enable you to embed video and images in your adverts to deliver an experience that will really stand out.

Two-stage applications and quick apply

Consumer behaviours are directly linked to recruitment today and this is never more the case than application form length.

Today, we can buy products, register for events and book holidays on our mobiles in a matter of minutes. Applying for jobs should be no different in candidates’ eyes.

Any application form should work just as well on a mobile as it does on a laptop or PC – if it takes longer than 2-3 minutes to complete then many candidates will simply abandon it.

Our two-stage applications feature is designed to solve this problem, keeping the initial application short and relevant and allowing recruiters to gather more information at a second stage.

We’ve also collaborated closely with reed.co.uk to deliver a seamless, quick apply integration to pass candidate reed.co.uk profile information and CVs directly into your Jobtrain ATS, resulting in a huge reduction in application drop-off.

Welcome Hub for new hires

Did you know that 10% of new hires who accept are lost to other employers after accepting offers?

Our Welcome Hub feature fills the void between your candidates accepting an offer and their first day. They get their own company branded and personalised portal where they can ‘Link In’ with their manager, access video content, get directions, information on their first day, what to expect and access key contacts for any questions they may have.