How Agility Can Improve Candidate Experience
Make no mistake about it: IT is a lucrative career. According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), the IT worker median salary is 15% higher than all occupations.
However, throwing money at top candidates is only half the story when it comes to attracting them to work at your company.
Candidates want to feel good about your company
Today's socially conscious workers want to have a good "feeling" about the company they work with e.g. culture, collaboration and purpose.
They should be able to sense these things when they visit your workplace to interview. Or if it's a remote hiring process, you have to find a way that makes your company culture jump through the screen. And you can't fake culture. If you don't practice what you preach, good candidates will be able to see through the facade and walk away.
Not to mention, their opinions can go viral. Candidates who had a bad experience are far more likely to tell others not to apply to an organization, which could include a negative Glassdoor review. What your employer brand is saying about your organization likely determines whether you will ever get a chance to speak with candidates you wish to attract.
So, your organization should be doing whatever it can to help craft that employer brand message from the inside. One of the best ways to improve candidate experience is to mirror your internal processes.
Align your own culture with the Agile concepts you are selling to candidates
Business and life coach Tina Rusnak agrees, "It's important to align your own culture with the Agile concepts you are selling to candidates," she said. "If you have an Agile coach around to help, really take that candidate experience seriously. Get their feedback to HR and management quickly and honestly."
Candidates move very quickly these days; speed has become the new business currency. "Speed to hire" is one key indicator that will tell them a lot about the culture of your company. If it is slow and cumbersome, it tells candidates your company's processes are inefficient and outdated.
This is especially true with younger workers. According to Forbes, "Graduates expect quick turnaround at every step, from the time they apply to when you make an offer. 62% of college seniors expect employers to respond in less than a week after applying for a job."
Talent Executive Thomas M. Darrow believes it is important to make an investment in Talent Acquisition to help cut down on this lag time. "Companies struggle with it," he said. "Many see TA as a cost center and keep their recruiting staff lean. With the volume of hiring these days, companies must hire top TA leaders and invest in them to get results. Let them work at a sustainable pace."
"Building good relationships with top candidates and creating a pipeline will help you respond quickly when the time comes," he added. "Both candidates and hiring managers will really appreciate this."
Enterprise agility is here to stay
Agile isn't just for IT anymore. It's been working its way into other areas and functions, from product development to manufacturing to marketing and now it's transforming how organizations hire, develop, and manage their people.
This concept is called "enterprise agility". Make your enterprise more agile and you will attract candidates and motivate teams and individuals to achieve performance results they never thought possible.
