How To Create A Positive Candidate Experience

The job market is in a rather difficult spot for employers. However, at T. Burks & Associates, we want to make it easier. That is why we created this ultimate guide to a positive candidate experience! In this article, we will go through interview tips, building the employer brand, workplace culture, and much more.

Employers: How To Attract Top Talent

While attracting multiple applicants is a sign that you’re doing something right, what about the quality? If you are in a loop of seeking talent, but can’t find “the one”, here are a few factors to consider:

• Writing a detailed job description that mentions all qualifications and requirements will attract the talent you’re seeking. It is essential to be transparent in the job descriptions to avoid potentially wasting your and the candidate’s time.
• Offering competitive compensation and benefits is another surefire way to attract top talent. We understand that not every company can offer top dollar for talent due to budgets, but we believe that a benefits package can make or break the decision for candidates to apply.
• Diversifying your work environment such as remote or hybrid options could also attract top talent. If neither of these options works for your company for the long term, you could offer these as temporary options until your talent can relocate. Offering relocation assistance will also attract top applicants.
• Utilizing social media is also a fantastic way to attract top talent. With the use of social platforms such as LinkedIn, your perfect candidate could be one message away!

If you have been covering these bases and are still stuck, we would recommend focusing on building your employer brand which will be covered in the next section.

Building Your Employer Brand

You may be asking, “What does building your employer brand” mean? For starters, everyone has a “personal brand”. This means that there is a deliberate shaping of a person’s public identity which includes their story, image, and position within a community. The same thing can happen for a business. What makes your business stand out from all the others? What would catch the eye of a top applicant as soon as they Google you? Here are some ways you can do that:

• Defining your Employer Value Proposition (EVP) can also be referred to as your company’s purpose, culture, and values. Essentially, you would outline what your company offers as an employer and what your mission is. All this information should be on your company website with a dedicated page.
• Creating content on social media is one of the best ways for an employer to build their brand. Posting company photos, activities, work anniversaries, and testimonials can give a “face” to a company and attract talent. The more personable a company appears, the more likely it will be for top applicants to want to work there.
• Focusing on company culture and employee experience inside the workplace is just as important as creating content on social media. Making sure that your current employees are satisfied and motivated will lessen employee turnaround and increase employee referrals. A few tips for enhancing workplace culture would be:
  
  
  • Scheduling social outings
  • Encouraging all employees to share their ideas
  • Promote diversity and inclusivity
  • Creating an employee recognition program

Now that you know how to attract top talent, we want to delve into the recruiting process of said talent by showing off the best questions to ask during the interview process.

Best Interview Questions

While interview questions such as “Why did you apply for this role?” and “Tell us about yourself” are tried and true, we believe that it’s key to stick out to candidates! Here are some interview questions that we believe are both thought-provoking and memorable.

• What’s your definition of hard work?
• Who is the smartest person you know? Why?
• Tell me about a time you failed at something.
• What would your first 30, 60, or 90 days of work look like in this role?
• Is there anything that you would change about this interview process?

These interview questions are all geared to get to know the candidate on a more personal level while also maintaining a sense of professionalism. Depending on the candidate, they will be able to tie every answer back into the role that they are interviewing for in a balanced way.

Career Advice for Specific Industries

Finally, we want to leave you with some advice on careers in specific industries. T. Burks and Associates is a company that is focused on the manufacturing, engineering, and supply chain industries. We want to help employers and candidates alike succeed in these industries so if you are looking to delve into these industries, don’t hesitate to contact us and we will have our dedicated professionals help you.