Candidate experience is a hot topic right now. But the question is – with the rise in job opportunities, can a good candidate experience motivate techies to look beyond salary?
To begin with, the typical recruitment process has gone for a complete overhaul. Therefore, improving the candidate experience should be employers’ top priority.
So, in the sixth episode of the ATT webinar – The New Age Candidate Experience, we discussed how to improve candidate experience and its importance.
The ATT monthly webinar aims to bring the HR community together and promote an environment of mutual growth. Also, the program is set to inspire HR professionals to grow as leaders by learning from the experience of industry stalwarts.
For this session, Bruhadeeswaran R, Senior Manager – Editorial & Content at Info Edge India Ltd, connected with two leaders:
- Sheetal Bhanot Shetty– Chief Human Resources Officer at Infra.Market
- Sebastian Rodriguez– Vice President & Global Head – Talent at Netcore Cloud
Q: What does candidate experience mean to you, and how do you manage it?
Sebastian: Anything that you do for a candidate is an experience. It can be either good or bad. So, I will add the prefix ‘positive’ before experience. Let’s see how to create a positive candidate experience. It starts right from the time your brand comes into the picture. Branding should be so strong that the candidate hears the company name and knows it is a great place to work. So, branding is the first step. Then, we look at the process at each recruitment stage. We need to give the candidate the right kind of feedback and attention.
Sheetal: If you want to attract good talent, you need to give a transparent view of the organisation- challenges, weaknesses, strengths. Bring the candidate closer to reality. Upselling a role to a candidate doesn’t work anymore. It’s how you make the candidate feel more confident about the job and create an experience that he would like to be a part of. The brand also speaks a lot. Today, it’s not about the organisation selecting the right candidate alone. But, it’s also about how HR does not allow the candidate to make a wrong choice. If that happens, you can claim that you have attracted the right talent as an HR.
Q: How do you address questions about job security?
Sheetal: I’m sure every professional understands that your performance measurements or expectations don’t change. No company rewards for efforts. Rewards are for outcomes.
Sebastian: We are honest with candidates about how the company is performing. We have hired 200+ people quarter by quarter, even in the pandemic. Not fired any employee and even gave increments. As long as there is transparency, there should not be any problem with job security. If the company is not performing, HR must inform the candidate because eventually, they will find out.
Q: Could you please talk about employer-branding activities at your respective companies?
Sebastian: We do college sessions to talk about Netcore, upcoming IPO and startup journey. We also have Netcore university, where we teach marketing automation. So, all upcoming marketers already know our tool.
Q. Do you see a shift in candidate expectations?
Sheetal: Expectation is essentially about empathy. How well you can relate to them. The challenge for HR has been handling different expectations for both employees and candidates. You must build your process and policies based on what people want. Feedback and pulse surveys have taken a huge forefront in understanding what people want.
Also, listening is one art that all of us must develop. At Infra Market, the HR team gives a listening shoulder to the employees.
Q. Tech-Enabled HR processes are taking away the personalised experience. Is it a good change?
Sheetal: There is no replacement for human touch. I look at technology as an enabler. For example, bots answer queries on HR policies so that HR can focus on more quality time for the employees.
Sebastian: You can’t take the human out of HR. Bots help HR to save time. So, they can spend more time going out and talking to employees.
Q. How many candidates did you hire remotely during the pandemic? And one thing that makes or breaks candidates’ experiences?
Sheetal: We hired 1000+. We hire candidates from different industries, and each industry’s value proposition is different. Also, when we speak about the experience, it matters to talk about people we haven’t selected. How do we inform them why they are not the right fit?
We do not hire for compensation because there is no limit to it. So many companies ask their people to stay back, other companies give counteroffers, and candidates do job-hopping. That’s not the kind of people we want. We want people who wish to join us and build their careers.
Q: Is two to three months notice period correct?
Sebastian: In the U.S., people can leave in a week. They understand that somebody thinking of his future job is probably disengaged at work. We are also slowly moving towards that. Managers want the notice period to be extended, but we educate them. Organisations must build backups. Then the notice period can be cut short. Two weeks notice period is ideal.
Q: Are flexible timings here to stay?
Sebastian: As long as the customer is addressed at the right time and we can work together as a team, flexible times are acceptable. Organisations are moving towards that. Is it the norm? I’m not sure.
Also Read: How to Create a Safe and Smart Hybrid Workspace
Q: What kind of organisational culture do new age candidates aspire for?
Sheetal: There must be an open door policy where employees can easily reach the manager. They can also have a mentor assigned so that their questions are answered. You need to listen to your employees.
Sebastian: Times are changing, and youth today is sharp. We need to be agile and address the need of the hour. We also try to set the expectations right from the beginning with the candidate. So they are happy after joining as they know what they are getting into.
Q: How do you deal with HR review?
Sebastian: Now, the world is moving towards writing reviews openly. You can confront and reply with the right answer. If there is a genuine issue, you must discuss and solve it.
Source: Live Poll
Source: Live Poll
We hope this insightful interview was of some help. For more exciting features on HR and Hiring, keep a tab on the All Thing Talent homepage.
