Ensuring A Smooth Interview Experience — The Ikigai Way!

Here at Ikigai, we follow the saying “Treat candidates the way you would treat a customer’’

Hiring at any organization is the ‘key’ for success, however it has its own challenges. Some challenges are negligibly small and some are gargantuan in decision making. However one thing which remains the most quintessential aspect is how an organization treats its employees. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t about employees over here, it’s about potential employees and those who have shown their interest to be a part of the family!

The word out there is that the majority of organizations fail to give a good interview experience to their candidates and to be honest not all blame can be put directly on them as there are numerous factors which are unseen during the whole recruitment and selection process. But it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to be smooth & empathetic → This is the motto we have adopted for our Recruitment team to ensure no candidate leaves frustrated from the sourcing round to the final interview.

So if you are a recruiter you must be wondering

Let us tell you our little secret!

Set major do’s & don’ts for the recruitment process, here are some examples:

The Obvious Do’s

• Be Honest → Yes, honesty is still the best policy folks! Tell them what needs to be said, don’t beat around the bush
• Automate the process of communication → If you feel manually responding to each and every candidate is not possible then just automate your replying process by using the software you feel best suits you & your organization.
• Empathize the candidate’s situation → If someone is ringing or emailing continuously then there has to be a solid reason, don’t overlook that reason just because it’s sometimes irritating. Try to understand and clarify whatever it is!
• Make them aware of the entire process & expected timeline it would take for the whole interview process → Imagine spending a good amount of time and effort ordering something online but not knowing when it’s going to be delivered, to add to your frustration, you can’t even track it! Annoying isn’t it? Yes, now you can sympathize with candidates.

The Unpleasant Don’ts

• Never ignore an application → Even if the profile is not what you are looking for, just revert to the candidate.
• Don’t let them ask you about their candidature status → As a recruiter or hiring manager if you know it’s going to take time then inform the candidates, don’t wait for the moment for them to ping or call you.

Now let us give you a glimpse of what the Ikigai way is to ensure a smooth sailing candidate experience:

Ikigai has ensured a first response rate to the candidates under 24 hours on working days.

1. An open line of communication with folks during the interview phase.
2. Keeping in touch with them over emails, phone calls & LinkedIn wherever possible.
3. Framing culture handbook to make sure they know about the organization inside out before appearing for the interview.
4. Sharing email feedback within 24 hours even if they could not clear the interview process at any stage.

The big question is how does ensuring the above create any significant impact on the organization?

Let’s unveil the secret!

‘’Ensuring positive and memorable experiences for the candidates will be great for your employer branding. From a humane point of view your organization will be seen as someone who cares about people as well. After all one bad experience ruins all the hard work the organization has accomplished through the years’’

The Bottom Line: Value your candidates, that’s it!

If you have already been following all the above mentioned tips then a big kudos to you and those who are yet to, it’s never too late. Cheers to all the recruiters & hiring managers who have been trying their best to make sure all candidates leave happy and satisfied no matter whether they were offered employment or not.