There’s a war for talent raging in the job market. With every company vying for the best candidates, each one is looking to gain an advantage. One way to gain the competitive advantage in getting the top talent on your team is improving the candidate experience. 87% of candidates say a positive experience can change their mind about a role or company they previously had doubts about. A positive candidate experience not only benefits in the short term but can provide long term benefit as well with 77% of candidates saying they are likely to share positive experience with their network. Here are 4 ways you can provide a positive candidate experience.

Don’t keep candidates in the dark. From first contact to job offer/rejection, stay in contact with the candidate. Email automation can be useful to trigger emails when they apply and through the whole interview process. 47% of candidates say they don’t receive any form of communication from the company they apply to, even up to 60 days after applying. Make sure every candidate knows where they stand with you and keep them in the loop throughout the whole process. If a candidate isn’t the right fit, be courteous and communicative with them to tell them why. You never know when a previous candidate could be a good fit for another position and their positive experience could lead to other referrals. 

Company branding and being active on social media is becoming ever more important. 75% of candidates will research a company’s reputation before applying for a job. Focus on your company branding and show what your company is all about. This will give a candidate an idea of what they can expect. Respond to negative reviews and positive reviews with kind, professional words to show that you value everyone’s opinion and you are continuing to grow and make changes.

A candidate can tell if you are prepared during an interview. Give their resume a look before getting in the interview and identify important talking points. A little preparation can go a long way and shows the candidate that they are valued. 

Listen to the candidate’s concerns and create an interview experience where they feel comfortable to both ask and answer questions. Give them feedback on how they can improve and ask for feedback from the candidates. Use this feedback to refine your process and give future candidates an even better experience.