Candidate experience is central to any application process in HigherEd today.
A positive (or negative) candidate experience can impact a job seeker’s perception of your institution as an employer, and can influence whether or not they complete an application, stay engaged throughout the search process, or accept a job offer. By prioritizing candidate experience, higher education institutions can not only secure the best-fit talent but also build a positive employer reputation, increase employee satisfaction, and empower long-term institutional success. Luckily, there are some simple ways that your team can improve the candidate experience within PeopleAdmin’s Applicant Tracking System. Read on to hear a few tips from platform expert Inez Cranor.
Internal postings and candidate facing workflows
“There are a few key features that impact candidate experience that I think a lot of customers don’t know about. The first is internal posting states: job postings in the internal posting state can only be accessed by applicants with the direct URL, and can’t be seen on the applicant portal. This is very useful for internal job postings, giving internal job candidates the opportunity to apply for a role officially without opening it up publicly. This posting state can also be used to allow an individual applicant to work on a reactivated application after the posting has been closed, which is helpful when your team wants to offer some flexibility to candidates.
The other useful feature I think all PeopleAdmin ATS users should know about is candidate facing workflow states, or external workflow states. These are the labels applicants see when viewing the status of their applications, and are vital to keeping applicants engaged and increasing communication with candidates. For instance, you can label states like “in progress” or “position filled,” so applicants know where they stand.”
Why communication is key for the candidate experience
Communicating with candidates throughout the job application process and keeping them aware of their application status are key to keeping applicants engaged and building a positive relationship. A candidate who feels disengaged or forgotten is more likely to drop out of the hiring process and less likely to accept an job offer. With applicant status workflows, like those in PeopleAdmin’s ATS, your team increases transparency, which in turn builds trust and reduces uncertainty, allowing candidates to make informed decisions about their job search.
Final thoughts
If you’re interested in these PeopleAdmin features or you’d like to learn more, reach out to our experts.