Today’s business environment is a competitive labor market. In such conditions, it is important for organizations to focus not only on attracting new talent, but also on ensuring a positive and efficient candidate experience from the moment they submit their resume to the moment they are hired.
There are many stories on the Internet about a candidate’s lack of understanding about their status as an applicant for a position, non-constructive feedback from the hiring manager, or the absence of any feedback from the recruiter at all. No wonder candidates will do their best to avoid such companies. As a result, both the employer’s brand and further recruiting will be negatively affected, as well as the cost of the hire. A positive candidate experience is an important competitive advantage for both job seekers and employers. After all, the experience has the potential to significantly improve the reputation of the organization and increase the attractiveness of engaging and retaining highly professional specialists.
At Growe, we pay close attention to every stage of our candidate journey and are constantly improving their experience. For example, we have created internal rules that clearly define the deadline for feedback at each stage. We also introduced the Candidate Experience Survey for all those who successfully passed the interviews and became part of our team, as well as for those who reached the final round but didn’t make it through the final stage for one reason or another. We analyze each feedback in detail and implement relevant changes to make the talent recruitment process as clear, structured, and feedback-oriented as possible at every stage.
Recruitment processes differ from one company to another and are adapted to the needs of the business. It mostly depends on the number of team members, the recruitment budget, the head of the department, etc. At Growe, we regularly work to improve each stage and try to stay one step ahead. This is how the process looks like from the inside, thanks to which we have a 99% candidate experience satisfaction rate.
Applying For a Job
The candidate’s journey begins with finding a job that matches their skills and career goals. As soon as a suitable role is found and a request is submitted on our website, we receive the resume in our internal system. Each vacancy is assigned to a responsible recruiter, whose working day always starts with reviewing applicants. The recruiter reviews all resumes, can consult with the hiring manager, and clarify details with the candidate if necessary. The recruiter has two days to provide feedback. It can be automatically generated and sent by the system if the experience and skills do not meet the job requirements. If the candidate’s experience meets the hiring manager’s expectations, the recruiter personally contacts the applicant and schedules a time for the Recruitment Pre-screen, where the candidate and recruiter meet online.
Scheduling an interview: if the candidate’s application has passed the pre-screening, they can expect an invitation to an interview. The interview is scheduled promptly, but the candidate has enough time to prepare.
Preparing for the interview: the candidate should study information about the company and their role. Moreover, they should receive information about the format, duration of the interview, interview participants, and a written invitation confirming all the details.
The Interview (Recruitment Pre-screen)
Recruitment pre-screen: this is the first interaction between the candidate with our company and the recruiter. During this conversation, the recruiter immerses the candidate in the specifics of the company and the vacancy, and asks the candidate to self-introduce and tell more about themselves. The conversation usually lasts about 45 minutes and covers the applicant’s experience, skills, motivation, future team, responsibilities, and expectations from us as future employers. This stage allows the recruiter and the candidate to assess their match.
Interview questions and ratings: candidates should expect questions that rate their qualifications and potential fit with the organization. Assessments, tests, and situational questions can also be part of the process.
Next, the recruiter writes detailed feedback about the candidate, enters it into the system, shares the notes and resume with the hiring manager. That manager will have 8 hours (1 business day) to decide whether the resume and the recruiter’s notes reflect the professional and personal qualities they are looking for. At Growe, we call this stage Hiring Manager CV Review. If the hiring manager likes the candidate based on the description, we schedule a Professional pre-screen.
Prompt feedback: after Recruitment Review, the recruiter provides the candidate with feedback within two business days. Alternatively, a recruiter passes the candidate to the next stage and informs them of the next steps or rejects them with an explanation. We always provide constructive feedback, which, in case of rejection, helps candidates understand what needs to be improved.
Timeline: 2 business days after the Recruitment Review.
Professional Pre-screen
At this stage, the candidate meets with their potential manager, who assesses the skills, competencies, and the specialist’s professional experience in detail, and the candidate asks the manager about their vision of the role, tasks, and KPIs. The interview usually lasts up to one hour for non-technical roles and up to 1.5 hours for technical roles. Along with the hiring manager, our People Partner takes part in the interview. The recruiter will check soft skills by moderating this stage, the hiring manager will check hard skills, and the People Partner will check soft skills and “cultural fit”. Each People Partner is responsible for a separate department/division/region, so they know the work specifics there. A People Partner begins the assessment even by simply observing the interaction between the hiring manager and the candidate.
After the Professional Pre-screen, the recruiter discusses the candidate with the interview participants. Feedback on the next stage is provided within a maximum of 2 business days.
Test Task
The test isn’t mandatory for every role, but it can often be part of the process.
It is necessary to familiarize the candidate with the type of responsibilities associated with the position and give them the opportunity to show their skills in practice. Depending on the hiring manager’s preference, a test assignment may be offered after the following stages:
1. Recruitment Review.
2. Professional Pre-screen.
3. After the final (Professional Interview). This can happen if any of the participants have doubts.
The recruiter sends the candidate a test task and sets a deadline. The candidate is given 3 days to complete the task, but the total amount of time to complete it should not exceed 3 hours. After the candidate completes a test task, the recruiter informs them when they will receive feedback. We provide feedback within 2 business days.
Professional Interview
This is the final stage. At this stage, the candidate meets again with their potential manager, recruiter, and an additional participant: the head of the business unit, who talks about their expectations of the role and the specifics of the department. We have prepared some case scenarios that have no right or wrong answers, they just help us better understand the mindset.
The recruiter acts as a moderator and introduces everyone to the candidate, introduces each participant in the meeting, and talks through the comfortable agenda (for example, asks the candidate to highlight the most important things from their experience, and the hiring manager to tell more about the team’s activities, goals, expectations of the candidate, etc.).
After introducing the recruiter, the hiring manager asks 2–3 cases related to the team’s work to identify the candidate’s soft skills. This may be followed by a block of technical questions (10–15 minutes) and a block of questions from the candidate about the future role and the company. The interview usually lasts one hour. We are obligated to make a decision within 2 business days maximum.
The Candidate’s References
Right after the final stage, the recruiter discusses the candidate with the interview participants.
If everyone provides positive feedback and is ready to hire the candidate, we conduct a Reference Check within two days, during which we are obliged to respond. For this purpose, we ask a candidate for the contacts of their previous employer/manager and contact them to get references.
After receiving feedback from the candidate’s previous manager, the recruiter provides clear, honest, detailed, and honest feedback as soon as possible, regardless of the outcome of the interview.
When the decision is made, the recruiter prepares an offer or rejects the candidate (possibly saves the CV for future vacancies and stays in touch with the candidate in any case).
In case of rejection, we send a Rejected Candidates Survey to the candidate who took part in the final interview, asking them to rate the process of interaction with us in detail.
The Offer and Final Stage
Before the offer is sent, the recruiter calls the candidate, congratulates them on the good news, once again talks about the terms of employment, and sets the start date.
Within a day, the candidate receives an Offer Letter with a detailed written offer that includes compensation, benefits, start date, and any other important details.
Negotiations. A candidate can negotiate aspects of the offer, such as salary, benefits, or the start date, and employers should be prepared for such discussions.
Welcome Letter
As soon as the candidate has signed the offer, the recruiter sends a Welcome Letter introducing the People Partner who will support the future team member during onboarding and adaptation, as well as organize getting equipment, paperwork, etc. The new colleague is asked to provide all the necessary documents for employment and fill out the Candidate Experience Survey.
Adaptation Stage
First day prep: a few days before the start of work, the newcomer receives information from the People Partner about the first day, including where to go, whom to meet, and what to bring.
Onboarding: on the first day, the newcomer must go through a detailed onboarding process that covers the company’s policies, culture, and expectations.
Training and integration: the following weeks include training and all the support needed to succeed in their new position. After all, integration into the team and the organization is crucial for long-term success.
Some statistics
At Growe, the average time for closing a vacancy (from its opening to its filling) is 32 days. Meanwhile, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that the average time to close a position is 42 days. We are faster and ahead of this standard by trying to be responsive and meet all deadlines.
The average time to hire (from the moment a candidate is added to our system to the day they accept the offer) at Growe is 15 days. It’s the same here, with global trends and statistical reports claiming that Time-to-Hire now takes an average of 44 days in other companies. We are three times faster!
It is significant that the average time a candidate spends with us at each stage is 3 days. This also demonstrates our efficiency in managing deadlines, SLAs, and ATS processes.
Through a clear and transparent process, we hire 120 employees per quarter and achieve a 99% candidate experience satisfaction rate. People want to work for us and are ready to recommend us to their friends and contacts.
The Conclusion
The candidate’s journey is a crucial aspect of the recruitment process that impacts an organization’s ability to attract and maintain top talent. From the first request to onboarding, candidates should expect clear communication, transparency and professionalism from employers. A positive candidate experience is not only beneficial, but also improves the company’s reputation, which ultimately contributes to its success in a competitive labor market.
Therefore, employers must carefully manage the candidate experience process to create a positive and lasting impression.
March 27, 2024
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