HROTodayGlobal

Recruitment the departing employee any more. That person will continue to exist as a potential customer, product advocate, and as a possible future hire or rehire," says Simon Thomas, head of global brand and insight, Alexander Mann Solutions. "Maximising their experience, wherever they sit on those first two wheels, is vital to ensuring that they will continue to view your brand favourably." By not doing so presents a threat to all organisations, and where it hurts: the bottom line. In an economic environment where recruitment and HR resources are already stretched, the added possibility that a bad interview or job seeking experience for a candidate may negatively influence their buying decision for that brand is alarming. With a firm correlation between the quality of a business's recruitment cycle, and its ongoing attractiveness to any candidate engaged in that cycle, organisations must look to what the potential financial implications of a poor recruitment experience could be. Interestingly, what's important in a candidate experience varies by region, and in fact, organisational awareness and knowledge of differing regional tastes is essential, as is understanding how cultural variances factor in the recruitment process. Respondents from the United Kingdom, for instance, seem particularly sensitive to the quality of their interview experience. Fifty-eight per cent of those surveyed in the U.K. were likely to be put off by a poor or negative experience, admitting that it would definitely or probably have a damaging effect on future buying decisions. While the situation in the United States and China may be slightly less acute (50 per cent of and 47 per cent of respondents respectively said that a negative interview had the potential to change their purchasing decisions), overall the figures remain significant. Respondents in China indicated a sensitivity to initial messaging prior to first interview, while the U.S. audience highlighted the period between interview and acceptance as critical, because it is at this point that disengagement is most likely to occur. "There's a single global principle that holds true to all markets: Employers need to dispose of the mentality that it's a one-way, single-pronged journey of engagement with their company," notes Lisa Chartier, head of resourcing communications U.S. for AMS. "There has been a noticeable shift of power. Individuals can now choose whether to connect with an organisation or not, and they have a clear option to do so both as a candidate and as a consumer. Organisations need to be humble enough to accept this, to fully understand their audiences, and to cater to their candidate's needs and wants." Simply put, organisations need to ensure they manage consistency and quality of experience throughout every stage of the candidate journey, or they risk losing both a candidate and a customer. And the benefits of such an approach are obvious. Ensure that each applicant— regardless of calibre or level—enjoys the candidate experience, and the company is assured continued patronage, purchase of products and services. More importantly, they secure a long-lasting advocate for their consumer and corporate brands. Ensuring a Positive Brand Experience One of the clearest messages from this research is the need for organisations to ensure a positive experience at every touch point with potential customers and employees. AMS's study clearly indicates that regardless of region, every organisation's reputation is at risk during each interaction with a candidate—including the interview and post-hire process. All regions showed a strong correlation between the candidate experience and the subsequent impact on consumer buying intentions. "I think that consistency is one of the biggest challenges facing the recruitment industry right now," says Todd Raphael, editor-in-chief of ERE.net, a recruiting community. "There are so many different channels and touch points for candidates that maintaining the same standard of brand experience across them all is incredibly difficult." Social Media: The Good and the Bad The internet has created limitless opportunities for businesses. It has also given customers a voice, and that voice is not always a happy one. Social media—in particular, branded feeds and fan pages— has given angry or frustrated customers the perfect arena in which to vent their displeasure. A survey conducted by Lightspeed Research in January 2011 found that 15 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds have used an official Facebook page to complain about a brand. Naturally, this attitude extends into the recruitment world. In the social media age, the relating of negative interview experiences is unlikely to stop with immediate family and friends—it's likely to be shared, widely, and happily. The old English adage "bad news travels fast" is particularly apt in an environment where opinions are openly shared, where communication channels serve thousands of people, and when the sharing of information occurs with a click of a button. From the survey, when asked if you had a negative candidate experience with an employer, which are you most likely to tell about it (see Figure 1 on following page): [40] HRO TODAY GLOBAL | FALL 2011

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