Candidate Experience Best Practices

While leading TA at Going, we implemented a search-based cohort hiring model, and it became one of the most impactful shifts in how recruiting operated. We’d open a role with a defined application window, move candidates through the process on a shared timeline, and make decisions with structure and clarity. It wasn’t rigid. We stayed flexible. Sometimes the right candidate wasn’t in that first cohort, or timing didn’t work out. When that happened, we’d reset and run the search again. But even with that, it was still far more effective than managing candidates in five different stages with no shared context or end in sight. Here’s what this approach unlocked: ✅ Aligned timelines and expectations Everyone knew what was happening and when. It gave hiring teams space to plan, focus, and reduce context switching — which led to faster, sharper decisions and a more cohesive process. ✅ Faster, more confident decisions Evaluating candidates side by side helped patterns emerge more clearly. Strong alignment stood out. Misalignment did too. ✅ Less recency bias When everyone moves through at the same pace, decisions become more objective. You’re not relying on memory from weeks ago. ✅ More consistent feedback When interviews happen in a tight window, feedback loops actually work. Interviewers stay engaged and hiring managers don’t lose context. ✅ Better candidate experience Candidates had clear expectations and timely communication. No wondering where they stood or what came next. ✅ Cleaner, more actionable data Because the process was consistent, the data meant something. We could identify drop-off points, optimize pass-through rates, and actually learn from the search. And the results spoke for themselves: 📉 We reduced time to fill by 41% ✅ We saw a 100% offer acceptance rate. ⭐ And a 5/5 QoH rating within the new hire's first 90 days. Was it perfect? No. It takes planning. It takes alignment. And yes, sometimes you’ll need to rerun a search. But in a fast-moving org, the clarity, speed, and quality this model gave us made it more than worth it. Hiring doesn’t need to feel reactive. With the right structure in place, it becomes focused, fair, and far more effective. Have you tried something similar? Would love to hear how it worked for you. 👇

The single biggest recruiting mistake I see first-time founders, hiring managers, and even recruiters make is waiting until the offer stage to “sell” or “close”. Don’t wait until you make an offer to start closing someone. It doesn’t feel genuine, and candidates won’t like it. In fact, after you’ve made an offer is the absolute worst time to start “selling” a candidate:  - As soon as the convo shifts to numbers, it starts to become all about negotiation.  - For better or worse, many candidates become fixated on comp and get tunnel vision.  - Folks start to hold their cards closer to their chest and it becomes more challenging have a heart to heart about the other motivations that may matter most.  - Trying to close too hard at this stage comes across as “sales-y” and doesn’t feel good. Welcome to Startup Hiring 101 part 19 (link in comments 👇 ), which is all about Selling & Closing. There’s so much to cover that this is just the first blog post of two on the topic. Part 19 covers best practices for closing at the top of the funnel, closing throughout the interview process, how to understand your candidate’s motivations, example discovery questions to ask, and more. Check out the full blog post for more, but to get the juices going, here are some best practices for “selling” / “closing” that I’ve learned, which is ultimately about providing a great candidate experience:  ✅‎ “selling” / “closing” doesn’t mean “pitching”. It means genuinely understanding your candidate’s motivations to see if you genuinely have an exciting opportunity for them.  ✅ ‎Start closing early.  ✅ ‎Start by asking good discovery Qs (just like sales!) during your very first convo and throughout the interview process.    ✅ Aim to learn something new about your candidate in every single convo.    ‎✅ Run a tight process with a fast turnaround time.     ✅ Always have a next step in mind headed into each convo with your candidate and ideally align on it live before ending your convo.  ✅ Give your candidate a sense of what it feels like to be part of your team. Things like lunch with the team, joining a standup, or even joining for All Hands can be a great way to do this as a small startup.  ✅ Get creative & involve your whole team. Investors & advisors too.  ✅ ‎Don’t just extend an offer when you’re ready… make sure your candidate is ready! The 1-10 Q is a great tactic here. Stay tuned for blog post #2 on Selling & Closing next week, which will cover the offer stage and beyond. In the meantime, what’s your favorite tip for selling/closing/candidate experience before making an offer?

Ignoring the candidate experience is a damaging mistake that far too many companies make. Treating candidates poorly makes it harder to attract great talent, creates a negative brand halo, and can even impact the customer experience, and dent market share. You can avoid this fate, and the stakes are higher than ever in the age of AI-generated applications. 🤦♂️ First, I wish I didn’t have to say this but I do: Candidates for open jobs are human beings deserving of fair treatment, respect, and transparency. Far too few candidates get them from companies today. 🤖 Now recruiters and hiring managers face their own challenges – drowning in piles of applications as it gets easier than ever for candidates to apply to jobs, leveraging AI tools to automate major parts of the process. 📝 But there are also AI tools and automations that make it easier to schedule notifications to go to candidates, and to keep track of all the candidates. 📈 Clearly most companies aren’t fully leveraging those capabilities. What’s more, the increase in volume of applications means that you risk angering far more people. If you have an order of magnitude more job applicants for each opening, then the numbers get very big, very quickly in terms of candidates who would rather not be in business with you as either an employee or customer in the future. You can do better though. Here's how: 1️⃣ Think of the candidate as someone who you would like to feel better about your brand, regardless of the outcome with the hiring process. Starting from that position of wanting above all to leave the person feeling good about your company will fundamentally change how you think about the hiring process. My guess is you’ll part for more emphasis on it, and even prioritize it as something to focus on for your CX or Service Design team. 2️⃣ Communicate early, often and transparently with candidates. If they are one of 600 applicants for a job, help them understand that they are highly unlikely to get the job. Don't waste their time. At this point in the process, a form email is absolutely fine, so long as it's clear and leaves them with no doubt about where they stand. 3️⃣ When the situation changes, communicate that. Have they moved on to the next phase of the process? Have they been eliminated and are now longer under consideration? Don’t leave them guessing, wondering, drawing their own conclusions about where they stand. 4️⃣ When significant time has passed, you owe them another update. Even if nothing has changed, but a week has passed since your last communication, get in touch again. Keep them up to date. 💡 This is all basic, and yet would be a vast improvement over the situation today at so many companies. But that’s an opportunity. When the bar is lower, jumping over it isn’t too hard. Need some catharsis? Share your hiring horror story in the comments. #CX #employeeexperience

Wise advice for anyone in the midst of a hiring process. I’ve seen firsthand how small changes can make a big difference in how candidates experience interviews. The result? Candidates feel less stressed and more confident, leading to more productive conversations. Hiring teams build stronger connections with the right people. What can you do as a hiring manager? Start by creating an environment where candidates can be their best. Here’s what you can do: Build rapport to ease nerves Encourage candidates to use notes Avoid "trap" questions Give time for pauses and thoughtful responses Offer extra time if necessary Share interview topics/questions in advance These simple changes can lead to: ☑ Better interview outcomes ☑ Stronger candidate relationships ☑ More successful hiring decisions It might feel like a small shift, but it pays off big for both the team and the candidate. It’s not about following a set formula; it’s about creating a space where everyone can thrive. What’s your best interview experience? Share below!

Last year, my talent acquisition team started creating "Job Trailers" for all of our roles – short, engaging videos that give candidates a clear understanding of the position, the team, and what we're looking for. Candidates have responded incredibly positively; they really love them! 💡 Tip: These short, engaging videos provide a snapshot of the role, team, and what we're looking for, making it easier for potential candidates to envision themselves in the role – especially helpful if you're a fully remote organization, offering a virtual window into your company culture! Why Job Trailers? 🔹 Enhanced engagement: Videos are more compelling than text and accessible to share on social media, helping us reach a wider audience. 🔹Inclusivity: Videos cater to diverse learning styles, making the application process more accessible for everyone. 🔹Transparency: Provides a genuine look into the role and company culture, setting clear expectations for candidates. 🎬 Creating the Video: Creating the Video is simpler than you think. Partner with hiring managers or team members to showcase the role's responsibilities, team dynamics, and any unique perks. Remember, authenticity is key! A simple video shot on a phone is all you need! 📣 Sharing Your Masterpiece: Once your video is ready, embed it in the job posting or share it across social media platforms. Job Trailers are a win-win. They create a more transparent, engaging, and inclusive candidate experience while helping you attract top talent. (Picture below is a screenshot of the one I did last fall for the Candidate Experience Specialist!) #CandidateExperience #Recruiting #Hiring #JobTrailers #VideoRecruiting #TalentAcquisition #InclusiveHiring

Anyone can post a job opening. But strategy is how you find the right fit. I've been on both sides of the hiring table. The difference between good and great recruiting isn't just about filling positions. It's about building relationships that last. Here are 10 game-changing tips every recruiter should implement today: 1/ Elevate Candidate Experience ↳ Every interaction shapes your company's reputation, even with candidates you don't hire. 2/ Craft Compelling Job Descriptions ↳ Focus on impact and growth opportunities, not just requirements and responsibilities. 3/ Build Talent Pipelines ↳ Build relationships before you have openings to fill urgent needs faster. 4/ Share Team Stories ↳ Let hiring managers record short videos explaining the role to increase candidate engagement. 5/ Structure Your Interviews ↳ Create consistent evaluation criteria to reduce bias and improve hiring decisions. 6/ Provide Meaningful Feedback ↳ Rejected candidates who receive thoughtful feedback are more likely to reapply or refer others. 7/ Measure What Matters ↳ Focus on quality of hire and retention, not just time-to-fill or cost-per-hire. 8/ Partner With Hiring Managers ↳ Regular alignment meetings create better outcomes than transactional relationships. 9/ Leverage Employee Networks ↳ Your team knows your culture best and can identify who will thrive in your environment. 10/ Champion Diversity ↳ Diverse sourcing strategies lead to stronger teams and better business results. 💡 Pro Tip: The most successful recruiters spend more time listening than talking. Recruiting isn't just about filling seats. It's about building the future of your organization. What recruiting strategy has worked best for your team? Let me know in the comments below ⬇ ♻ Repost if you found this insightful! 👊 Follow Ford Coleman for more!

As a TA leader, I’ve seen the recruiting landscape evolve dramatically—especially with the shift towards data-driven hiring. 🚀 Today, gut instinct alone won’t cut it. Metrics are the key to refining processes and enhancing the candidate experience. Here’s what I’ve learned: ⏳ Time is Crucial: Tracking Time to Fill and Time to Hire not only streamlines our operations but shows candidates we value their time. In a competitive market, speed can be a game-changer. 🗺️ Source of Hire: Knowing where top candidates come from is like having a treasure map. By investing in the right channels, we optimize our efforts and budget for better results. 🎯 Quality Over Quantity: Quality of Hire isn’t just about performance—it’s about long-term fit and retention. Measuring this regularly helps us refine our criteria to find the right cultural fit. 👋 First Impressions Matter: Candidate Experience has been a game-changer. Feedback from all candidates, hired or not, offers invaluable insights that improve our process and brand perception. 💻 Embracing Tech: Recruitment technologies like ATS allow us to track and benchmark metrics accurately. Data analytics drives continuous improvement. 🌍 Diversity and Inclusion: Monitoring Adverse Impact and promoting equitable hiring isn’t just a checkbox—it’s about creating an inclusive environment that celebrates diversity. 🔄 Feedback Loops: Recruiter Performance Metrics have built a culture of learning. Analyzing conversion rates and communication boosts recruiter performance over time. Metrics tell the story of our values and hiring strategies. Aligning them with our goals helps create outstanding candidate journeys, promote diversity, and drive lasting success. What metrics have been most valuable to you in recruitment? 💬

Recruiters... Candidates do not want to feel like just another application or resume. They are human and the recruitment process should have a personable human touch to it. In the fast-paced world of recruitment, one of the most underrated but essential elements of success is the relationship between Recruiters and candidates. It’s not just about filling a role—it’s about fostering trust, communication, and long-term connections. When you recruit with these aspects in mind, this is what can happen: 1. A Positive Candidate Experience: Regular check-ins and communication demonstrate that you genuinely care about the candidates’ progress and career goals. This leaves a lasting impression, even if they aren’t selected for a role immediately. A positive experience could ensure they’ll come back to you for future opportunities, which has happened to me personally many times before! 2. Helps Build a Strong Talent Pipeline: Staying in touch allows you to keep a pulse on candidates, even if they aren’t the right fit for a current role. You’ll have a go-to list of qualified individuals ready for when new opportunities arise. A deep network of engaged candidates is an invaluable asset! 3. Gives You Better Insights: Regular interaction helps you understand candidates’ goals and preferences, allowing you to find the best match for both sides. Just like any human relationship, the more you interact with one another, the more you learn about each other. 4. Trust and Transparency Matter: Pause and read that again! When candidates trust you, they are more likely to be open and transparent about their career goals, compensation expectations, and other critical details. This helps you find the best match for both the candidate and the client, leading to successful hires. 5. Encourages Referrals: Strong relationships often lead to referrals! (And we all know how much a Recruiter loves a good referral!) Candidates who feel valued are more likely to refer their friends, colleagues, or other professionals within their network, expanding your talent pool and giving you a competitive edge in your search. Ultimately, recruitment is all about relationships. When you build trust and keep the lines of communication open, everyone benefits in the long run. So take some time to really focus on QUALITY of your conversations and interviews over quantity. #RecruitmentTips #Relationship #Network #QualityOverQuantity