employee of the monthBuying in bulk just makes sense. You have what you need, when you need it, without the hassle of running to the store in the middle of the night. The midnight trip just delays the inevitable – yet another run because the kids have eaten all of the (fill in the snack) again. With a house full of active kids, it’s a never ending cycle to replace everything from toilet paper to cereal and logistically, a grocery store just won’t do.

I’m not a huge fan of shopping in the first place. Add multiple trips a week? We’re going into deal breaker zone. From the second you’re finally in a parking spot after hovering and playing speed racer just to get settled, to constantly getting stuck behind the slowest people who somehow find the middle of every aisle I need to go through – it’s not my idea of fun.

What frustrates me most is when a product has been moved and I have to search all over the store for the new location. I just don’t get why the tortillas were moved from the Mexican foods section to the bread aisle or why my local store insists on changing the entire layout at least twice a year.

The worst is when a product is discontinued without warning and I can’t find anyone in the store to answer my questions or help me find what I need. In that situation I’m forced to either hunt or abandon my purchase.

Cleanup On Aisle 7: Candidate Journey Mishaps

compliments Unfortunately, your prospective candidates are going through this same journey when searching for a job. In fact, it’s probably worse because it’s not as simple as picking another brand or yet another trip to the grocery store. We’re talking about their livelihood.

This is where recruiting meets customer service – a key intersection of successful recruiting pros. I know I’m pointing out the obvious when I say this, but we have to start treating candidates like customers. The horror stories I hear about recruiters making themselves impossible to reach or simply ignoring candidates, I cringe. No wonder we lose them.

But to me, I wonder why. We know today’s digital candidate wants to be treated like a consumer of your brand. There are literally thousands of articles on the topic. It’s obvious that the more you personalize and provide a tailored experience, the more compelled a candidate is to stay invested in your organization. These customizations are an added efficiency to a candidate’s consideration path, and helping improve this path will lead to a decrease in unqualified or non-fit candidates and an increase in qualified informed candidates. So why aren’t we making the changes?

Free Samples: Time’s A Wastin’

Probably because we don’t know where to start. Start simple: time. Time is precious – we all know this. That’s why we shop in bulk in the first place. The last thing we want to do is extend our day by an hour to run errands. But when I do, I know what I want. The quicker I find my items and get through checkout, the happier I am.

The same applies for your candidates. They want to quickly find what they are looking for – jobs and related content. Remember, one extra click can cost you the ideal candidate, so make sure your candidate journey is streamlined. Don’t make candidates search for your job listing and careers content.

Test for yourself just how time intensive your apply is – and not just the actual application. Look at the social assets, your career site and, of course, your ATS from their perspective. Is it what you thought? How many hoops are you making them jump through to find your job and careers content? Most importantly, what’s missing or is in the wrong place (like those damn tortillas)?

Ingredient Hunt: Finding Job Content

employee of the monthGrocery stores are constantly changing what they offer, which drives me nuts, but that’s because they’re trying to sell us what’s relevant – not just what’s out there. No store can hold everything you could possibly want, but they surely want to try. And when I say everything, I mean it. There are wholesalers who sell caskets. While it’s nice that they have this offering, it’s not relevant to me as a living breathing person who just wants 48 rolls of TP.

The same applies to your jobs content. Your content needs to be relevant to the particular candidate, showcase your brand experience, and help them with his or her consideration process to apply for your job. The more they can relate to a job,  the better. Don’t just have content in place because there’s a gap in the template.

The best way to do that? Show someone who’s doing the job. Personalize the experience per role as much as you can and offer the key value proposition for that candidate in terms they understand, not marketing speak. Think about it – how much would you love if your store put all the items you normally buy in one aisle? You know who your jobs-seekers are. The more tailored your content and experience the better engagement, consideration and conversion.

Action Item: Search!

employee of the month gunThere is no thrill in the hunt when you’re a job seeker desperately trying to find your next career, just like there’s no thrill when your wife is pregnant and you can’t find that one kind of ice cream she specifically requested.

It’s important that they can quickly search your job database and refine their search with ease. It’s also critical that they can see hyper-local data about who in their network works at your organization. Data and connections are persuasive. Simple IP detection can fix so many irrelevance issues and provide a high touch experience.

Then, help them make a decision on if they want to apply (or not). From time to time a new product will catch my eye, either because of flashy packaging or – more likely – taste-testing from the sample counter. These help influence my decision to buy a product and your candidate has a similar consideration set in his or her application process. When they are ready to apply, will their experience afford them all the information they need in order to pull the trigger and apply?

 

Brian Di BartolomeoAbout The Author: Brian Di Bartolomeo is the Regional Vice President of Client Strategy for TMP Worldwide Chicago-Midwest. Brian collaborates with leading organizations on their employment brand, attracting qualified candidates, and providing thought leadership on their overall talent acquisition strategy.

Brian’s expertise focuses on the candidate experience, providing ongoing engagement for improved experience, and leveraging SAAS based technology to drive overall efficiencies across the digital landscape.

Prior to joining TMP Worldwide Brian held leadership positions at startups and Fortune 1000 companies including:
·         General Manager of Findly’s strategic accounts program. In this role he focused on an improved candidate experience for the top tier of clients within Findly’s portfolio.

·         Director of Talent Intelligence and Consulting at CareerBuilder – a global leader in human capital solutions. Brian managed talent intelligence analytics related to human capital metrics for pre-employment studies and recruitment strategy recommendations.

·         Senior Project Director for Lightspeed Research – The Foresight Group, a global leader in Employee Engagement Survey and Organizational Effectiveness Assessments, Brian was responsible for leading and managing the strategic and tactical aspects of Fortune 500 key clients and their associated global employee survey and leadership development projects.
For the past 20 years, Di Bartolomeo has specialized in building strategic relationships in diverse settings and industries for Fortune 500 companies using expertise in marketing, survey program design, team leadership, project management, contract negotiation and client retention.

An industrial organizational psychologist, Di Bartolomeo has an outstanding reputation for developing, implementing, and maintaining sound measurable business practices and effective communication skills with clients, and leadership skills with internal teams.