4 Expert Tips to Eliminate Stress from Your Candidate Experience

4 Expert Tips to Eliminate Stress from Your Candidate ExperienceYoure sorting through hundreds of resumes and scheduling dozens of interviews when you receive yet aleidher email from a candidate asking when youll make a decision. Its tempting to just hit delete theres no denying the hiring process is stressful but then you consider the candidates perspective. The job search is also overwhelming.In fact, in a 2017 survey from CareerBuilder, 73 percent of job seekers said the job search welches one of the most stressful times in life. Some job seekers end up burnt out and even if theyre perfect for a job, drop out of the hiring process. As a hiring professional, you have a choice do you allow your process to contribute to candidate stress or do you actively try to alleviate it?When you take steps to make your hiring process less cumbersome for candidates, they form a better opinion of your company and are more likely to stick it out to the end. Here are four tips from hiring experts for how you can help prevent candidate burnoutCheck for alignment earlyI had a candidate once who applied to one of our positions and I was not sure if their experience aligned perfectly. Before having them come in to interview, I wanted to chat about the position and find out if it was exactly what she was looking for. I also brought up compensation and said that I just wanted to make sure we were in the same ballpark range so that we didnt waste her time. The candidate was very open about what she was looking for and I was in shock. She was being completely underpaid. At the end of the conversation we decided that the position wasnt going to be a good fit for what she wanted, but we had a great conversation about compensation. Vanessa Brulotte, talent acquisition partner and recruiter at BambooHRReduce the number of interviewsOne thing that causes a great deal of stress is having to come into the office for more than three interviews. I know of some companies that have candidates come in for up to seven interviews for every single position. That is a ton of interviewing and time spent stressing. Ask the why behind every piece of your interview process. Do you need seven in-person interviews? Why? If you make candidates come in several different times, there are three negative things that are likely to happen. First, great candidates are taken off the market very quickly so you risk losing them. Its competitive out there so you have to get the ball rolling. Second, it creates a bad candidate experience. Candidates sacrifice a lot to come in to interview, especially if they are currently working. Making them come in so many different times can put a bad taste in their mouth.Finally, the cost of hiring goes up for the company because of how long the process is.The book Who The A Method for Hiring, by Geoff Smart and Randy Street contains 10 voodoo hiring methods that managers make the mistake of doing in their hiring process. You can totally change the candidat e experience by simply paying attention. Are you asking the right types of questions? Are you utilizing the time well? Understanding the voodoo methods and figuring out which one you tend to thema into will help you change it and create a better experience. Vanessa BrulotteBringing candidates in for a half dozen interviews wastes your time and stresses out candidates. talentacquisitionClick To TweetCommunicate transparentlyFor many job seekers, the two most stressful times are waiting for the phone to ring for the initial interview after applying for the perfect position and waiting for the phone to ring after hearing We will get back to you soon about the next steps.Stay in touch with the candidates, respond to their inquiries, and let them know the status in a timely manner. Even if it is just to let them know there are still more interviews being conducted, certain decision makers are unavailable, or the process is on hold for an extended period of time. It is better to know than be left in limbo. It is the not knowing and the lack of response to inquiries that is frustrating and discouraging to candidates. Madelyn Mackie, CCMC and career activator at MadelynMackie.comInform candidates who arent chosen soonerOrganizations should ensure timely feedback, especially for unsuccessful candidates. If a candidate hasnt heard anything for three or more days after an interview, the prospects arent looking good. If someone is not suitable, organizations will have made a decision by then. But rejecting candidates is not the priority because organizations focus on the candidates they like. Speeding this piece up can alleviate stress and improve that companys image in the process. Often, candidates stay interested in companies far longer than they otherwise might have due to this communication. Karla Reffold, founder and managing director of BeecherMaddenWaiting is stressful. Even if youre communicating bad news, job seekers want to hear it sooner rather than later. rec ruitingClick To Tweet___