12 JUN 2018

Nailing best-practice candidate experience to secure the best people for your FE College.

You may think the term ‘candidate experience’ is just another fluffy recruiting buzzword with no substance or meaning. But trust us, this is one concept that you really need to master in order to not only fill your current roles, but also make a great head start in lining up future candidates and boost the reputation of your Further Education College.

The candidate experience relates to all elements of interaction you have with potential candidates during the entire length of their recruitment journey with you – from their first read of your advert on a job board, to their first day starting their new job or to their learning that they have been unsuccessful this time.

Creating a good candidate experience not only makes your selection process easier to manage, saving you time and ultimately precious budget, but also reflects well on your College as an employer.

Deliver Clear Communication to Manage Expectations

By delivering clear communication at every step of the recruitment process, candidates will feel confident knowing what is expected of them and what they can expect from you. From detailing the essential qualifications required for the role in the advert through to a clear explanation of the format of the interview, you’ll both increase the candidate’s confidence, improve their performance and also create a more efficient recruitment process. After all, knowledge is power and you want your FE College to stand out for all the right reasons.

FE Colleges with the Human Touch Fare Better

Wherever possible in your process, create personal interaction with your candidates. When candidates feel as though they are only dealing with automated processes and not being treated as an individual, they are unlikely to be enthused about the opportunity and may not perform as well.

Personalise written communications particularly rejection letters, explaining why they weren’t successful this time. This valuable constructive criticism takes away the uncertainty of the rejection and will help them identify what they need to work on to move forward with their careers. Offering proactive advice will gain respect from the candidate and will seal your FE College as a place of possible future interest in their mind, rather than be off-putting for life.

Don’t Delay

Creating and sticking to specified timings also helps to improve the candidate’s experience and links back to our first point of clear communication. If you’ve published that all applicants will be notified by a certain date, then stick to it. Otherwise, you’ll be inundated with calls querying their status or you’ll irritate your potential next recruit with slack time management!

Also, in a competitive job market where demand is exceeding supply, if you don’t respond to interviewees swiftly, they may be snapped up by another College.

Treat People How You Would Like To Be Treated

Ultimately, the most important element of the candidate experience (and may we say, life in general!) is treating people with respect. Consider the logistics the candidate has had to manage to attend an interview for example – taking time off from their current job, organising child care, preparing for the interview, getting their suit dry cleaned etc. Essentially the candidate has made a lot of effort to make a good impression with you. By treating the candidate in a respectful way, you are recognising the effort they have made.

Whether a candidate has a positive or negative experience with you, they will be telling their friends and family about it, and through social media, this could reach far and wide. By managing the recruitment process well and treating candidates with respect, you’re boosting the reputation of your College as a great employer and ultimately making it a desirable place to work.

Need more information? For further tips, read our 5 top tips to fine tune your recruitment application process to attract the best candidates or contact us today.