HR professionals’ main goal in conducting a candidate experience survey is to improve and optimize their recruiting strategies and acceptance rates. But how can HR professionals make this process better, swifter, and more inclusive?
It is essential for most companies since it gives potential employees an authentic look into how the company works even before they are employed. Keep reading to learn how candidate experience surveys are the go-to strategy for data-driven professionals.
Content Index hideIn its essence, a candidate experience survey is a survey that happens during or after the applicant’s recruiting process. These are usually conducted by the Human Resources (HR) team to enhance and optimize their process and, by extension, the company.
Measuring this experience through HR surveys allows companies to collect valuable feedback, identify blind spots in the application process, and help increase hiring and retention rates.
In today’s highly opinionated and communicative world, this kind of survey is most likely the greatest approach to collect such valuable information, given that the questions are designed to directly ask applicants what they really thought of the (usually many!) steps of your recruitment questions — and, best of all, anonymously and unfiltered.
That’s why this experience survey will provide you with honest and accurate information to assess, in real-world terms, how a candidate’s experience was.
Transform your organization with our Employee Experience Survey and Analytics Platform. Request DemoYou might be asking yourself why I do this if I already have a mountain of work and tons of data points I haven’t analyzed yet. According to a Career Arc poll, nearly 60% of rejected candidates have had a poor experience applying to a job; worse, 72% of those shared the experience online or with someone.
The same survey revealed that, on average, candidates spend 3-4 hours preparing and submitting info, while HR execs spend less than 15 minutes reviewing them.
Here are some of the key reasons why the survey is important:
Candidate experience surveys allow companies to get feedback directly from candidates who have gone through the recruitment process. This feedback is invaluable for identifying areas that need improvement, such as communication, interview process, application experience, and overall candidate satisfaction.
The candidate’s experience significantly impacts an organization’s employer brand. Candidates who have a positive experience, even if they are not selected, are more likely to speak positively about the company and recommend it to others. On the other hand, candidates with a negative experience may share their opinions, leading to a damaged reputation. By collecting feedback through a survey, companies can address issues and strengthen their employer brand.
This helps companies understand their strengths and weaknesses in the employee recruitment process. Knowing what they do well and what they need to improve upon enables organizations to optimize their approach and provide a better participant experience.
Gathering data through surveys provides objective insights into this experience. HR and recruitment teams can use this data to make informed decisions, refine their strategies, and allocate resources more effectively.
A positive candidate experience can give an organization a competitive advantage in the job market. Candidates often compare their experiences with multiple employers, and those with a better participant experience are more likely to attract top talent.
A positive experience encourages individuals to apply again for future job openings even if they were not selected previously. This can lead to a larger, more engaged talent pool for future recruitment efforts.
Candidates who have great experience, even if they were not hired, may still become advocates for the organization. They might refer other talented individuals they know to apply, expanding the potential talent pool.
Implementing candidate experience surveys on a regular basis allows companies to track their progress over time. By comparing the results from different periods, organizations can see how their efforts to improve the participant experience are impacting their recruitment success.
Candidate experience surveys are crucial for organizations to gather feedback and improve their recruitment processes. Here are some best practices to ensure the effectiveness and usefulness of these surveys:
Using a candidate experience survey template is beneficial for various reasons, as they provide valuable insight and benefits to both organizations and candidates. Here are some of the key reasons to use candidate surveys:
Brand awareness plays an important role when hiring new employees. Both overall brand awareness and perceptions come from the company culture, which brings the brand to life, and the way it speaks to employees and potential customers.
The recruitment process is getting shorter as time goes on. You can use constant feedback to track progress if you want to shorten the hiring process. Communication and transparency within the processes are essential factors that define the participant experience.
Surveying candidates and new hires may be the best for training. It is not a direct part of the recruiting role, but they work collaboratively with the hiring team, hiring managers, and the broader HR organization. To keep the process closed and ensure a bad interview doesn’t let down candidates, seize the moment and train new managers to be interviewers.
Candidate surveys can help organizations identify the strengths and weaknesses of their recruitment process. Feedback from candidates provides valuable insights into what aspects of the process are working well and which areas need improvement.
Positive feedback from candidates can be used to enhance an organization’s employer branding efforts. When candidates have a positive experience during the recruitment process, they are more likely to speak positively about the company, whether they are offered the position or not.
Certain survey questions can help predict potential job applicants’ performance. By asking about specific skills, experiences, or hypothetical scenarios, organizations can gain insights into how well candidates might perform in the role.
Only ask the most important candidate experience survey questions about your talent acquisition goals to keep candidates engaged. Here are some examples of candidate experience survey questions:
When designing candidate experience survey questions, it’s important to gather feedback that will provide valuable insights into the recruitment and hiring process. Here are some sample survey questions to help you get started:
The following questions should have strongly agree, neither agree nor disagree, and strongly disagree as answer options.
The candidate experience survey is an indispensable tool in understanding the candidate journey, identifying areas for improvement, and refining your recruitment strategy. By leveraging the insights gained from these surveys, you can create a more efficient, candidate-centric recruitment process that benefits both the rejected candidates and qualified candidates as well as your organization in the long run.
Ready to create a workplace culture where everyone can reach their full potential? Learn more about getting ongoing feedback from your employees and start taking action to positively impact your organization with QuestionPro Workforce.
