With increasing numbers of job applicants, and some genuinely great talent out there, the importance of thorough and robust selection is paramount.
The pressure is on to have a highly efficient candidate management process in place. So how do you efficiently select the best talent while delivering a great candidate experience which enhances your brand?
The best organisations will offer a high-contact approach with a personal touch. To do this efficiently, you need a well-designed selection process and a good applicant tracking system (ATS) which can partially automate the process.
Planning a robust, tailored process which assesses candidates against a competency model as well as for their motivational fit is crucial. When an ATS is integrated to a recruitment website you can give candidates access to various self-selection tools. Ability tests and other tools can help sift candidates with little or no effort, providing a filtered pipeline of pre-qualified candidates to go through to the next stage of the assessment process.
It will also help capture relevant information and personal data which can easily be reported on and analysed to ensure fairness and compliance with equal opportunities legislation.
The best organisations proactively plan the candidate journey, thinking about the impact of every communication they will receive.It’s all about making them feel welcome, valued and well-informed. We should always ask ourselves whether they will feel fully briefed on what to expect, as well as on the outcomes. An integrated website/ATS can automate many of these messages at pre-determined stages ensuring that timely, relevant and branded messages are reliably received by the candidate bye-mail or SMS text.
If you offer an easy, enjoyable experience and candidates feel helped at every step of the way, then they will think positively about your brand, regardless of whether they are employed.
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Giving the candidate the ability to ‘self-help’ not only reduces workload, but also gives the candidate more choice and control. For example, allowing them to book an interview slot online with an automated confirmation and accompanying instructions will save on internal resource as well as improve the candidate experience. A helpline is only needed as back-up for occasional queries.
Andy Benzie, head of resourcing solutions delivery centre, TMP Worldwide
