Australasian Dentist Issue 89

Category AustrAlAsiAn Dentist 125 Why the candidate experience is more important now than ever By Pam McKean, Director, AB Dental & Medical employment Agency Pam McKean ColuMnIsts i t’s no longer the case that an employer can put a decent salary on the table and expect it to be enough to attract top quality employees. today’s job seekers have higher expectations and base their decisions on a broad range of factors – not least, the impression you give throughout the recruitment process. Building a winning candidate experience is not only a hot topic, it is the differentiator when it comes to finding, attracting and hiring the candidates your practice needs to be successful. When business owners think about experience the first thing that comes to mind is customer experience. every business wants its customers to come away with a favourable impression of the goods, services, and interactions associated with that business. its business 101: happy customers equal better returns (and more referrals!). What we often forget is that experience also applies to the people within the business. With that in mind, employers need to pay close attention to their candidate experience strategy. not only to source and retain top talent, but to keep reputation and profitability intact, since an applicant’s perception of your business can have wide-ranging implications. A whopping 82% of businesses don’t think a negative candidate experience has any impact on the company. Why is it so easy to brush aside candidate and employee experience? Perhaps it’s because the return on this investment is not so immediately apparent. these early interactions are extremely important and lay the foundation of the working relationship and wider brand perception. these experiences, (negative or positive) have a real effect on your company’s bottom line and are not to be discounted. What is ‘candidate Experience’? the candidate experience starts when the potential applicant becomes aware of your business and continues all the way through the hiring, background screening and onboarding process. the main complaints of candidates are that applications are long and clunky, hirers are slow to respond or do not respond at all, background checks are lengthy and take forever to come back, and onboarding is ad-hoc and sporadic. What is the ideal candidate experience? so many people have a poor candidate experience. You may have one or two memories of potential employers ghosting you after an interview or failing to onboard you properly. so let’s remember what the candidate experience should look like. Communicate the good and the bad: it’s also the key to manage expectations. Make sure you are communicating the good and the bad with your audience – and in the correct way. so whether a candidate has been unsuccessful at interview, there has been a delay in the hiring process, or there has been a freeze on recruitment altogether, let them know quickly in a personal and empathetic manner. silence really is a killer when it comes to candidate experience. then, there’s the actual offer and hiring process. this, too, can be streamlined. enable candidates to sign offers digitally, and automate your employment background checks in a way that streamlines the process for both you and your candidate. You should enable them to complete the background screening process and the checks you requested on the device of their choice, for example. the importance of candidate and employee experience is only underlined by the major changes caused by COViD-19 in the last year. You want the biggest return on your hiring investment – that means hiring quickly and keeping those employees. At the end of the day, this can give you a competitive edge through these trying times and do wonders for your employer brand. it’s in everyone’s best interest to improve the candidate experience and hiring process. You’re more likely to get the best matches if everyone is clear about their needs and skills. u C M Y CM MY CY CMY K ¼ Banner Advert – Clinicare Suction Cleaner DW MR Final.pdf 1 9/4/2564 10:20:18