1. Improve the Candidate Experience to Get Better Talent in the Door Faster
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
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2. Our understanding of the problem
HR professionals seeking to improve their candidate experience.
Talent acquisition leaders.
Identify pain points or gaps within your candidate experience.
Correct those issues with best-practice advice and steps through the creation of an action plan.
Communicate and train hiring managers and talent acquisition specialists on changes.
Hiring managers.
Talent acquisition specialists.
Take accountability for their own contributions to the hiring process.
Learn how to recruit more effectively, and assist in attracting better talent to the organization.
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3. Providing a poor candidate experience is de-motivating for candidates, but it’s really yourself that you’re hurting
Until recently it was an employer’s market, so recruiters and hiring managers were able to get good talent without courting top candidates.
However, recruiting is stuck in the past, with limited applicant tracking system (ATS) functionality, poor career sites, and outdated talent acquisition methodologies, which all limit the ability to “wow” talent.
If you don’t treat your candidates like your customers, you will lose out financially. A CareerBuilder survey found that 58% of candidates are less likely to purchase a product from a company that didn’t respond to their job application.
– “Nationwide Study from CareerBuilder […] About the Candidate Experience,” 2015
Organizations can’t afford to be lazy with their candidate experience. Candidates, especially top talent, will expect to be courted by employers, instead of the other way around.
The job market is shifting, and candidates now have more power to accept or reject jobs.
Many organizations don’t have a candidate-mindful recruiting process in place so they will lose top talent to the organizations that do.
HR rarely has the opportunity to look at the candidate experience holistically so they might be unable to pinpoint their pains.
Organizations must offer an exceptional candidate experience that not only takes into account the organization’s talent needs but also the experience from the candidate’s point of view.
Individuals from the organization that are responsible for bringing in new talent need to be accountable, empathetic, and capable of representing their organization and brand in a way that appeals to talent.
A holistic approach is required when improving the candidate experience, as so many processes within it affect all the other parts. By looking at all of the processes and elements of the candidate experience at once, it is easy to identify the problem areas, create processes that flow logically from one segment into the next, and streamline internal capabilities for optimal efficiency and cost.
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4. Guided Implementation
McLean & Company offers various levels of support to best suit your needs
Guided Implementation
“Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track.”
DIY Toolkit
“Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful.”
Workshop
“We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place.”
Consulting
“Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project.”
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options
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5. Use McLean & Company’s three-step process to improve the candidate experience to get better talent in the door faster
Develop an Action Plan
Assess the Candidate Experience
Prepare to Assess the Candidate Experience
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6. Sample Slides
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7. Impressions made during the candidate experience have a larger impact than you think, both positively…
For what reasons did you accept the job offer with this organization?
“I felt instant rapport with the supervisor; had a great feeling about the position.”
“I enjoyed the atmosphere.”
“I loved the people that I interview with.”
What did you appreciate most about the hiring process?
“Clear communication about the expectations of the position, the welcoming nature of the interviewers, and the flexibility of the company in tailoring roles according to the applicant's experience and skill sets.”
“[It was] communicated very clearly when the hire date would be, what compensation would look like, etc. Clear next steps [were] outlined.”
“The company recruiter was amazing. She made the process very easy. I really appreciated how quickly the hiring process moved along.”
“All parties involved were very professional and open when interviewing and during follow-up discussions. They were very open to questions regarding the hiring process and interview follow-up. During the interviews they allowed me to expand on questions and did not limit responses.”
“All the people involved were very concerned with hiring just the right person; they were thorough in every aspect.”
All responses from the McLean & Company New Hire Survey Database, 2016.
N=4,663
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8. In order to improve your candidate experience, you need to review all components of the candidate lifecycle
The candidate experience is the outcome of the relationship a job applicant has with your organization while considering, applying, accepting, or not accepting a position of employment.
Below is the thought model for the candidate experience project. It is comprised of:
The ACE elements, which your team members need to exhibit throughout the entire candidate experience. These include:
Accuracy – How honest and realistic are you with job descriptions, culture, and expectations?
Communication – Are candidates informed of timelines and next steps as needed? Are you personable and friendly?
Empathy – Are you treating candidates how you would want to be treated in their shoes?
The three critical people/process/technology points: your company’s online experience, including main homepage and career site, your applicant tracking system (ATS), and your talent acquisition (TA) team.
The candidate experience status bar, which is broken down into five processes that represent the candidate experience lifecycle. Job applicants start this process and drop off along the way. Ideally, you want to have candidates choose to continue throughout the entire process and for you to decide when they drop off, not the other way around.
Use these images to follow the phases of this project
ACE: Accuracy, Communication, Empathy
Application
Process
Offers &
Follow Up
Employer
Brand
Screening &
Communication
Interviewing
1. Online Experience
2. ATS
3. TA Team
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9. McLean & Company Helps HR Professionals To:
Empower management to apply HR best practices
Develop effective talent acquisition & retention strategies
Build a high performance culture
Maintain a progressive set of HR policies & procedures
Demonstrate the business impact of HR
Stay abreast of HR trends & technologies 
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" Now, more than ever, HR leaders need to help their organizations maximize the value of their people. McLean & Company offers the tools, diagnostics and programs to drive measurable results."
– Jennifer Rozon, Vice President, McLean & Company
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