Each person who applies for a job gets an impression of your organization. What messages does your applicant experience send? Do applicants feel they’ve been treated with dignity, respect and genuine care? Do they know you sincerely appreciate their interest in you?

For too many organizations, the applicant experience communicates the following messages to applicants: you are unimportant; we’ll pay attention to you when we get around to it; we’re doing you a favor.

To improve your applicant experience, here are some questions you can answer. Think about it this way. For each phase of the application process, how would you treat a customer?

1. Is the online experience user friendly?
   
2. When an applicant calls how are they treated on the phone?
   
3. When an applicant arrives for an interview is she or he greeted in a warm and appreciative manner?
   
4. What is the physical environment like? Is it clean, painted, interesting and comfortable?  Does it sell the organization? Is this a place you’d take an important customer?
   
5. If an applicant has an appointment for an interview at 2:00 PM, is the interviewer on time?
   
6. Does each applicant receive information that would help them make a decision about whether to join your organization?
   
7. Do applicants understand the process?
   
8. When the person leaves do you express sincere appreciation for their time and interest?
   

Every interaction with a person outside your organization is an expression of your brand. Your applicant experience can enhance your brand, generating more applicants and more customers.

What changes would you implement in order to create a WOW experience that applicants talk about simply because it is so unexpectedly superior?

Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Larry Sternberg