10 Things Hiring Managers Should Know About The Candidate

Natalia Ferkova
3 days ago
4 min read

Often when candidates have a job interview they do lots of research to find tips for the interview. However, a good work relationship is based on mutual interest. That’s why it is beneficial as a hiring manager to learn more about job candidates and their experiences too. Furthermore, as a hiring manager you want to have a good reputation as it is important for the company. A candidate might not be suited for this specific job, but can be right for another position in the future. When the candidate has a good experience, they might apply for this other position. Otherwise, they can give good feedback about the company to family and friends.

Here are the 10 things hiring managers should know about the candidate experience.

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1. A poor job description can be a dealbreaker for hiring manager

For example, most job descriptions mention a certain degree from school; however, this is not always needed. A candidate academic back will not always help you determine whether candidates have qualities to sell gadgets in a retail store. Make sure the expectations are realistic, as lots of potential candidates won’t apply if they see they don’t have a certain degree. On the contrary, they might be the perfect candidate.

2. Some get lost in the application

Some companies have made up a long application to filter out some unqualified applicants already to reduce the time for the hiring managers. Beside this, it also filters out qualified applicants who quit halfway through an application because it’s too long or too complex.

3. The days are weeks for candidates while waiting for hiring manager response

It is normal as a hiring manager to take time on the decision to hire someone. However, for the candidates this waiting time feels the worst. Nowadays, many technologies are available to increase the speed of time for hiring while improving the quality of hiring. These technologies are video and voice interview tools. Also, recruiters can increase the speed for hiring. The candidate experience will increase when responding faster to the candidate.

4. Communicate all the way

We get it, as a hiring manager you have so many emails to respond to, however, candidates want to know what the status is. A common complaint by candidates is the lack of follow-up messages after an interview. Thankfully, this problem can be solved with an Applicant Tracking System. An Applicant Tracking System can streamline the entire recruitment process. It even sends automatic messages to job applicants to keep them up to date.

5. Feedback from hiring manager is appreciated

It is hard to get rejected as a candidate, however, it is part of their experience. As a candidate, you often want to know what went wrong and what could be done better for the next interview. As a hiring manager you can give feedback afterwards to the candidate which they can bring with them on the next interview. This leads to the candidate having a better candidate experience with the company or hiring manager.

6. Hiring Manager and Transparency

As a hiring manager you might not want to scare away your candidates by being too transparent with the responsibilities, compensations etc. However, not being transparent about this can result in wasting time as the candidate might not agree with some topics. At this point, not only the candidate has put a lot of time in this application, but also the hiring managers are wasting time. Transparency is the best for both.

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7. Showing how authentic you are is harder than it looks

Many hiring managers are looking for that one candidate who is different from others, when actually every candidate is different from another. However, some candidates find it easier to show their unique qualities, while others find it difficult. How do you show that you’re authentic in just an interview? Many candidates still struggle with this and need some time and need more of a relationship to show this.

8. Keep connected with each other

Applying for a job doesn’t always have to be for the obvious reason, namely getting that position. In fact, some candidates might just apply for a job to create connections. As the candidate might not be suited for the current job opening, it might be suited for another job or for a job at a partner company. For this reason, most candidates appreciate it to keep connected with each other, for example on LinkedIn. This is not only beneficial for them, but also for the company as well. You never have enough connections.

9. Some need some time

A job interview is already scary in itself, imagine only having 10 minutes to show why you are the best suited for the job. In those 10 minutes some candidates might just cooled down and are only then ready to open up. Give candidates the time to show themselves.

So, the candidate won’t only appreciate this, it also makes it easier for the hiring manager to find the right person for the job. Actually, some candidates might need just some more time to show their qualities.

10. Getting a bit of insight on the hiring process

A candidate can only prepare themselves so much to a certain point. However, they don’t know who is in front of them, which position they have and what is the motivation for hiring new people. Of course, as a hiring manager you can’t put all your cards on the table and explain the whole hiring process.Yet, for candidates a little knowledge about the process can make them more relaxed during the interview.

Conclusion

So, to conclude, the candidate experience is not only important for the candidate itself, but also for the company. As a hiring manager you must prepare just as much as a candidate to get the most out of the hiring process.