Using HR Tech to Drive the Candidate and Employee Experience

Today’s top, cloud-based HR Tech solutions are giving companies the ability to customize their processes that fit the specific need for each HR function. The tech space began with a one-size-fits-all concept that was bulky and costly, as companies had to pay for large components that they didn’t need. Additionally, those systems continued the additional cost, charging to upkeep the software, without really upgrading the capabilities.

Today, these workforce management solutions, like our Xenqu platform, are fully customizable, giving each business what it needs for its specific HR functions while saving money.

Near the top of the list of HR responsibility is the job of taking care of candidates and new employees. Their experience with the company during this time has tremendous influence as to whether they will work for, and ultimately stay with, your company. And just like today’s top tech solutions are customizable for specific HR functions, it’s important to designate the difference between the candidate and employee experience, understanding that each one has nuances that are important for the individuals that are involved in the process.

 

CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE

The candidate experience is quite specific to those individuals who are not current employees. The candidates may be newly discovered, or they may be people who have been in the funnel for some period of time.

In today’s workforce, companies don’t “pick” their employees, candidates pick companies. I know that idea falls apart a bit, as of course you’re not going to hire someone you don’t want on the team, but the sentiment is that it is a candidate driven workforce, giving the advantage to job seekers. The candidate is in much more control of the process, and specifically qualified candidates.

The candidate experience begins with the company branding, which includes everything from online presence to word-of-mouth, to online reviews. This window of time is for a company to “sell” itself to potential candidates. This is the time to tell the story of the values of the company, to talk about social responsibility, and get the word out on the culture.

But there’s nothing that speaks to a potential candidate like actually talking with them. Chatbots are making their move to rule the world (only kidding), but they are a powerful tool to interact with candidates. By using intelligent automation, chatbots can guide a large portion of the hiring process for candidates, pushing needed information to both potential employee and employer.

Technology can be leveraged to update candidates on new job openings, while also “checking-in” to see what the candidate needs. Additionally, technology can be utilized to drive the screening process, including I-9 E-verify, background checks, Visa verification, and more.

The ability of technology to manage many of these processes creates a streamlined system for candidates, from recruitment to hire, making the experience smooth and efficient. Taking the time to show candidates that your company is technologically invested in a great experience is a big plus, especially for Millennials, who want to work for companies that are engaged in technology.

 

EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

An employee’s experience with a company is the largest determiner on how long that employee remains. But it’s not just a good feeling that an employee is after, it’s also the experience that he or she has in the development of his or her career. It used to be that if you pay someone enough money, and “take care” of your employees, they would stay for their entire career. Those days are long gone, as we now have a workforce that looks for things like “work-life balance”, flex hours, the company’s social engagement, and more. All of these things make up the life of the company, and the employee experiences that life every day.

HR technology is at the forefront of guiding the employee experience. Once a candidate becomes a new hire, the integration of that new employee is critical. The onboarding process, driven by automation, assures that all the necessary documentation is being completed, on time, and within compliance regulations.

Schedulers allow feedback systems to be put into place, making sure that important communication between employer and employee is occurring on everything from onboarding to training to career development. These types of feedback not only help your company improve, but they also put the employee in a position to offer their opinion, and to be a part of finding solutions for the betterment of the business.

HR Tech can also be used to measure and quantify an employee’s productivity value. These types of metrics, that were once elusive, can now help determine the best way to train, motivate, or otherwise help an employee to be fully productive. These types of metrics also make sure that performers are duly recognized for their work.

The employee experience is essential for an employee to be happy and productive, for the benefit of the overall culture, and even for establishing the opportunity for employees to refer their network for potential jobs.

Understanding, and rightly delineating the candidate experience from the employee experience is an important distinction. It allows for the nuances of each situation to be appropriately addressed, and with HR technology, the process just got a lot simpler.

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