Think about the last time you ordered takeout from your local eatery. The entire process, including looking up a menu, confirming your food was delivered and filling out a survey, likely happened on a mobile app.
By transforming the ordering process to a mobile-first approach, restaurants adapted to the changing expectations of consumers, and now they’re reaping the benefits, especially in a post-pandemic world.
This same transformation is happening in the recruiting industry. Today’s talent expect a similar consumer-grade experience from their recruiting firms during all aspects of the hiring process, from application to interviews to onboarding.
Through these touchpoints, recruiters can build and nurture candidate relationships to create a community of raving fans. And building these communities pays off: According to Bullhorn’s latest GRID Industry Trends report, 70% of firms that reported above-average database utilization — meaning they regularly use their existing talent community to fill open roles — also reported major year-over-year revenue gains in 2022.
When done successfully, optimizing these experiences creates velocity — a flywheel — that continuously works for your team to transform your entire talent engagement process.
What do I mean by a flywheel? The flywheel effect happens when small wins for your business build on each other over time and eventually gain so much momentum that growth happens by itself.
If a recruiting agency provides a positive experience, that candidate is more likely to work with that agency again. Eventually, recruiters can pull from a qualified and engaged talent pool, helping accelerate time-to-fill, improve database utilization and ultimately improve client relationships.
The increasing importance of a seamless talent experience is why, at Bullhorn, we have developed the Connected Recruiting strategy to help staffing firms provide a positive candidate experience, turn the talent lifecycle into a flywheel and convert talent pools into communities of raving fans.
So how can your team use Connected Recruiting strategies to turn the talent experience into a flywheel? Start by answering these questions.
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How Is Your Team Finding and Building Talent Relationships?
Candidate experience is the foundation of talent experience. It is the first impression candidates have of your company, and it can set the tone for the rest of the hiring process. To create a positive candidate experience, agencies should focus on timely communication, transparency and personalization.
That means keeping candidates informed at every stage of the hiring process, being transparent about what to expect and personalizing the experience to each candidate’s needs and preferences.
How Is Your Team Managing Talent Engagement During Onboarding and After Placement?
A recent Bullhorn survey of 2,000+ temp workers found that 66% of workers have abandoned a promising opportunity because it took too long. These candidates had applied to a role but abandoned the opportunity and started over. This negatively impacts both talent and client experience.
How can you offer a better experience? Ensure you have a plan to prevent candidates from falling through the cracks and build processes to streamline the hiring process. Can you use self-service options via a mobile app or portal to help your new hires complete and maintain paperwork?
These touchpoints create moments that nurture relationships and help your team stand out.
What Is Your Team’s Process for Maintaining Relationships and Understanding the Candidate’s Journey?
Once a candidate is placed in a new role, it doesn’t mean their experience with your team is over. Bullhorn’s survey revealed that three out of five candidates want recruiters to reach out at least once a week with new opportunities while on assignment. Create a process where it’s easy for your team to share new opportunities with candidates, whether using automation or other communication best practices.
Once workers are on assignment, nurturing relationships is essential to the talent lifecycle. Are you sending NPS surveys to better understand their experience? If not, you should be (and your competitors probably are).
Building a talent experience flywheel may seem like a complex initiative, but don’t forget: The flywheel is built from small wins. Start by evaluating your current processes, determining metrics to track and bringing your team together for a common goal. From there, you’ll be able to zero in on focus areas, and before long, those small wins will turn into big successes.