It's time to put the Candidate Experience front and center: The 5 most important stages of the Candidate Journey

If the application process is already unpleasant, how can we expect job seekers to choose us? The candidate experience is crucial in the recruiting process, even for blue-collar companies. But what exactly is the candidate experience? A one-sentence definition first: the Candidate Journey describes the path a candidate takes from the very first contact with your company to hiring - and even a little beyond. The Candidate Experience is the impression that this journey makes on the applicant (candidate).

In this article, we highlight all the important points of the Candidate Journey. We show you which steps you should take in order to achieve more success with a good candidate experience in the blue collar recruiting with a good candidate experience.

A pleasant Candidate Journey increases the chance that candidates will decide in favor of you

A good candidate experience results from a consciously designed candidate journey. Both are of decisive importance for the success of a company. Only satisfied applicants will work for your company in the long term. This is especially true in the coming years, when an employee market is developing and companies with a good employer brand have valuable advantages.

One in two blue-collar workers applies to five or more companies at the same time.

Source: Whitepaper Finding and Retaining Workers, WorkerHero 2022

A good candidate experience is one of the most important factors in making the employer brand appealing to candidates

Because applicants like to share their experiences with friends and family. Application processes and the experiences that (blue-collar) employees have with them are a topic of conversation. In this way, a company with a good candidate experience gains a valuable advantage over its market competitors.

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A positive candidate experience is the goal of all measures along the candidate journey

The Candidate Experience is the totality of all experiences that an applicant has during the recruitment process. A positive Candidate Experience should give the applicant a good feeling about the company and convince them to want to work for the company. In the long run, this is a form of employee retention - if the Candidate Experience is so good that an employee identifies with the company to a high degree, you've found a loyal hero of the job for your company. This means that the Candidate Experience must be characterized by the positive culture and attitude of your company. Are you a down-to-earth, traditional medium-sized company? Or an agile, flexible start-up? Show that during the candidate journey. That way, the applicant knows what to expect.

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High staff turnover is expensive - as everyHR department knows. A good candidate experience along a good candidate journey is therefore a measure that saves costs in the long term.

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The 5 components of a successful Candidate Journey and Experience

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1. the first contact in the right channel starts the Candidate Journey - and the decision whether a candidate is interested at all

The job advertisement must be clear, understandable and brief - regardless of which channel it is in. Communication must be at eye level and explanatory. An applicant's first contact with a company is crucial for the further course of the candidate journey. As with a customer journey, the first contact is formative for the emerging brand image. You should therefore plan the first impression carefully - and communicate basics such as salary and working hours perfectly.

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In addition to the speed of the process, it is important to most candidates to know the salary as early as possible in the process. If this information comes very late, many potential applicants will jump ship.

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1. How does the initial contact take place and in which channel? Is it a recruiting campaign or is it a direct approach via a talent pool? The communication must be adapted accordingly
2. What are the first words an applicant reads about your company, what should the job advertisement look like?
3. What are the first hard facts, what is important to applicants here, besides salary?
4. What are the first images a potential new employee perceives of a company?
5. Look for multilingualism and easy-to-understand language. The candidate's level of spoken and written language may be better in another language.

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What if the initial contact takes place immediately with pre-qualified heroes? We shorten the candidate journey to just a few days. At WorkerHero, thousands of heroes for all industries are waiting for you. Recruit effortlessly now

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2. the (occasionally skipped) Consideration phase: 100% transparent communication and references.

The initial contact has been made. Now the candidate tries to get a picture of the company. Communication with the candidate (in detail) and externally to potential candidates (in general) must always be completely transparent.

Consider beforehand which other touchpoints exist for applicants and whether you can influence them. Examples would be portals like kununu, rating portals, but also social media. Blue-collar workers are not looking so much for an employee brand, but if you are known everywhere for poor working conditions, this will not help. Testimonials on the Internet about working at the company are especially important - applicants are more likely to believe people who have already worked for you than your job ad.

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3. the actual application process must be as fast and simple as possible

Be sure to communicate clearly what will happen and by when. Set the right expectations. Let's assume that after the initial contact and the consideration phase of the candidate journey, the candidate chooses you and your company. First, the technical foundation: Make sure your online application process on smartphones works flawlessly and is as user-friendly as possible. All forms must be optimized as well as possible for mobile devices. Eye level here also means: communication via the applicant's preferred channel. WhatsApp or mail? Let the applicant decide where he or she wants to be contacted best.

Think carefully about whether you even need a cover letter, or even a phone or video interview, from a blue collar candidate in your industry. Is body text and self-promotion really an important qualification?

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Further communication should always be clear, specific, professional and timely

More than two steps between application form and acceptance or rejection are too many. This costs you a lot of time, but above all it costs the candidate a lot of time. Even better would be a very lean 3-step: application form, personal interview or telephone/video interview (depending on your open position), quick acceptance or rejection.

Put a lot of emphasis on getting quick responses from the candidate. Whether positive or negative, one of the biggest pain points for blue collar applicants is the long wait to hear back from the company. At least give them a window of time ("we'll get back to you regardless of the decision by 04/12/2022"). People hate uncertainty - even if there is negative news, we at least want to know it. Nothing is more negative than a company that doesn't get back to us at all. This is why good applicant management is important.

Our survey showed: An application process should take a maximum of one week. 51 percent of respondents find this application duration appropriate. Only 41 percent still find 2 weeks "okay.

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Faster Time to Hire? Think about how you can shorten the recruiting process!

Screening candidates manually leads to delays, inconsistencies and wrong hires because you leave the decision to the hiring manager's gut feeling. In blue collar recruiting, the number of positions to be filled is too high to effectively manage through human input. This leads to stress, and the screening of candidates becomes superficial. Moreover, any market competitor that already automates individual steps of the candidate journey will be faster.

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4. the interview is an exchange, not an interrogation!

After the initial contact with the applicant, the application process continues with the interview. Here, too, a good candidate experience is crucial for the rest of the journey. The interview should be structured and professional. The candidate should feel comfortable during the interview and have the chance to ask questions. Carefully address these questions and clearly explain to the applicant what to expect in the new job. At the same time, the interview should also be a chance for the candidate to get to know the company itself (not just the relevant job role!) better and get a more detailed feel for the "vibe" in the team and the challenges of the job. Engage with the candidate and listen actively.

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5. onboarding is part of the candidate journey - and is often forgotten

To draw a comparison with the customer journey: There, too, there is a post-purchase phase - sometimes called "loyalty" or "after-sales" phase. Think of the Candidate Journey in the same way.

Good onboarding is an important part of the candidate journey.

Be sure to develop an appreciative and professional process for this. It is important here that the new employee feels welcome and is well received. He should never have the feeling that he now has to "fight his way" into the team. At the same time, he or she should receive all the relevant information so that he or she can quickly familiarize himself or herself with the processes. The quicker this happens, the quicker new WorkerHeroes will feel like part of a functioning team, not "the new guy." Good onboarding also strengthens the employer brand, because the new employee gets a positive impression of your company right from the start.

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Those who are particularly well trained feel they belong more quickly and are less likely to change jobs. The end of the candidate journey is particularly important for employee retention.

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General tips for Candidate Journey and Candidate Experience

● Take time for the applicant and answer their questions in detail and individually.

● Regularly inform the applicant about the status of his/her application.

● Keep your promises and stick to the agreed deadlines.

● Conduct a professional and structured interview.

● Be open to feedback and gratefully accept criticism of your HR and recruiting processes.

The Candidate Journey could be so short and pleasant - and still much easier for companies than before. Curious? Learn more about modern blue collar recruiting here.

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