Every Candidate Is an Ambassador
At Bizzabo, Every Candidate Is a Bizza-Ambassador
Finding the golden candidate can often feel like prospecting for gold. You set out into the job market jungle in the hopes of finding rich talent beyond your wildest dreams. In the quest for talent, all too frequently candidates are swept aside into a reject pile without so much as a phone call or rejection note.
Studies show that 87% of talent say a positive interview experience can change their mind about a role or company they once doubted. At Bizzabo, we see these candidates as our biggest brand ambassadors, or rather Bizza-Ambassadors. We love people! We show candidates a window into our Bizzatribe that is made up of passionate, ambitious, and innovative gems. We believe it’s all about who you are as a person, and only after that, a great developer or sales person.
The Power of a Great Conversation
In the great words of Maya Angelou, “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”
When speaking to candidates at Bizzabo, we try to create an emotional connection with each candidate throughout the hiring process. It’s the unexpected, warm understanding, and sharing of life experience that makes the conversation memorable. We are passionate about hearing their life story because there is always something to learn from the lives and perspectives of others.
The questions Bizzaboers ask candidates show how much we care about people, first and foremost. For example, “where would you like to grow professionally?” or “what words of wisdom inspire you? Who is your life mentor?” What do you like most your life,” “If you could have done something differently in your life, what would you change?” Asking these questions makes candidates feel empowered, understood, and even celebrated. We are also able to assess the candidate’s interpersonal skills and ability to have a genuine conversation based upon how they answer.
Ease The Stress of Uncertainty
During a candidate’s job search, the uncertainty can create anxiety, stress, and even panic at times. At Bizzabo, we write personalized rejection emails to every applicant (which amounts to thousands of candidates a year), thanking them for their time and effort. In some teams, if the candidate moved further along in the hiring process, the hiring manager will reach out to them personally and update them that we have decided to move forward with other candidates. When the candidate is tasked with an assignment as part of the interview process, we give direct feedback so he/she can learn from it. When rejecting candidates for R&D and Product positions, we always suggest a phone meeting with the candidate to give feedback on how they could have done better so they can learn for next time. We also encourage them to stay in touch with us, since we’re in a dynamic environment, and one can learn those skills and possibly apply back after some time.
Always Ask For Feedback
Even after rejecting the candidate, we ask for feedback from candidates about how we can improve the interview process. This is a win-win situation for both the candidate and interviewer. What differentiates those who succeed or fail is to learn how to take feedback and improve oneself for the future. We are constantly reviewing and improving our hiring process, from interview questions to assignments.
In most in-person interviews, we have two Bizzaboers meet with each candidate in one sitting. We are all about improving ourselves and we even give each other feedback on how to be a better interviewer on a regular basis. At the end of each stage in the hiring process, the interviewer fills out feedback forms that are well documented into Lever (our ATS).
We never say goodbye to candidates, instead we say; see you later, safe travels and come back for a visit anytime. You never know when you might cross paths with someone; a developer, marketer, or salesperson who heard about Bizzabo from a candidate who had a great experience with us. How do we know that we have been successful in turning candidates into Bizza-Ambassadors? We have received a flood of personal thank you notes, and words of recognition that inspire us everyday to stay humble as we grow and continue hiring talented gems.
