Separator

From Employee Experience To Candidate Experience: A New Chapter In Early Engagement & Employer Branding

Separator
A visionary leader with over 20 years of experience in the HR field, with a proven track record of driving strategic, digital, and transformational initiatives

The human resource (HR) practices in organizations have now evolved to embrace a more holistic approach that encompasses both the employee experience as well as candidate experience. Organizations are realizing that it is essential to emphasize candidate experience to showcase themselves as an employer of choice and create a strong EVP. They are leveraging technology to smoothen and simplify their Talent acquisition processes and provide an engaging applicant experience.

As HR practices are becoming more dynamic with the inclusion of newer considerations and paradigms, they will continue to assimilate the use of innovative technology to harness its transformative power to build a more positive workplace


While including newer aspects like candidate experience, the HR departments must deftly perform the traditional roles like enhancing and enriching employee experience yet find the best for the role. All the interactions one will have from the time of applying for a job till the time one leaves the organization, encompasses various touch points or opportunities to create superior employee experiences. Research have shown that the better the employee experience, the higher would be the employee engagement, productivity, and retention too. Organizations are striving to improve all the components that lead to better employee experience such as Onboarding, work culture, work-life balance, learning and development opportunities, and performance recognition etc.

New-age HR Technologies
The HR departments are taking strategic advantage of modern HR technologies to drive employee experience and thus enhancing employee retention and curb attrition rates. Many organizations rely on a robust platform like HRIS (Human Resources Information System) that acts as a centralized database for all information like employee profiles, attendance records, and performance evaluation. The HR departments are also making use of other HR tech solutions like employee self-service portals, well-being, and reward platforms to bolster the employee experience. The employee well-being platforms are the latest addition to the list of HR tech tools providing employees with resources and options to improve physical, spiritual, mental, social and financial health.

Organizations that have utilized HR technologies to deliver better employees experience have gained higher transparency, communication, and trust. Some companies like Airbnb have introduced a learning management system (LMS) to offer a range of online courses and resources to help employees develop new skills. Hospitality firm Hilton has implemented a mobile app called "Hilton Honors" that lets employees access useful information like work schedules, benefits, and training resources.

Candidate Experience a must have
Organizations are recognizing the need to improve candidate experience, that is to offer more professionalism and elevate interactions to an individual who have applied for a job. They realize the need to provide higher efficiency in the Talent acquisition process to portray a strong employer brand and thus be able to attract top talent in their industries.

Organizations are leaning on modern HR technological solutions like Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), video interviews, and AI-powered candidate assessments to enhance the candidate experience. They are making sure that the interactions that the company has with the candidates during the Talent acquisition process are as pleasant as possible, something that will set the tone for similar experiences for them when become employees and continue throughout their tenure in the organizations. Here, they are leveraging the efficiencies offered by new Onboarding tech tools to offer simplified and faster formalities and processes at the time of Talent acquisition , thus saving time for the candidate as well as providing them with improved communication standards at all the stages of the hiring process.

Some companies that derive advantages of modern HR solutions to improve candidate experience include Cisco, which has launched a Virtual Career Fair platform. This platform helps candidates to find job opportunities and interact with HR managers remotely. Another company is Marriott International which has implemented a platform that uses AI to recommend vacancies to candidates and helps in establishing better communication between candidates and HR managers.

HR Tech Tools Data is the new Oil.
Modern HR Tech tools are harnessing data and insights from a range of sources like social media, job boards, etc. to determine the factors that affect candidates’ decision-making. They are also using the insights to come up with predictive models to better evaluate candidate profiles and forecast their likelihood of success. The tools are also using analytics to give a personal touch to the candidate experience basis their individual preferences and needs. Thus, these tech offerings are being utilized by modern organizations in a major way to enrich candidate and employee experience.

While streamlining both the candidate as well as employee experience with the help of HR Technology, it must be made sure the recruiters that they comply with data protection regulations since most of these modern tools rely heavily on data and insights about them. They must take prior consent from the candidates and staff before using and analyzing their details and profiles.

As HR practices are becoming more dynamic with the inclusion of newer considerations and paradigms, they will continue to assimilate the use of innovative technology to harness its transformative power to build a more positive workplace culture and drive organizational success. The evolution of HR technology from focusing solely on employee experience to now including candidate experience signals a new paradigm shift to engage early and build a strong employer brand. Harnessing modern technologies and data analytics, HR departments are personalizing experiences, enhancing interactions, and predicting success. While this transformation offers considerable benefits, it is essential to respect and safeguard individual's privacy. This progressive leap in HR tech is fundamentally reshaping the modern workplace and propelling a new era of early engagement in an employee life cycle.