2023’s Candidate Experience Trends, Explained
Here’s a number to knock you over: 96% of workers will be looking for a new job in 2023, according to Monster. This is welcome news for employers who need to bring on new staff, and a compelling reason to polish your hiring process. The candidate experience in 2023 must be consumer-grade.
These are the major candidate experience trends you can expect this year, and whether you should join the party.
Walking the DEI talk
According to a 2021 survey by CNBC and SurveyMonkey, 78% of workers in the U.S. say it’s important to them to work for a company that prioritizes DEI, and 53% say it’s very important.
In 2023, job seekers (and your current employees) will not be convinced by corporate claims about DEI, they must see it in employee reviews, the places where your ESG strategy meets with the public, and their own interactions with the company—including the recruitment, interview, and onboarding processes.
DEI should factor into your:
Candidate sourcing. From what schools, professional/trade organizations, and regions are you filling your talent pool? Are your job descriptions written with inclusion in mind and free of language that favors gender, race, ability, or caregiver status?
Applicant screening. Do your applicants know whether AI is being used in evaluation decisions and how it might affect their chances? Have your evaluations been reviewed for bias? Is criteria focused on pedigree or candidate capability (i.e., skills-based)?
Interview transparency. Do candidates know how to prepare for interviews, how they will be evaluated, and whom they will meet? Do you give candidates feedback throughout the process and provide more than a yes/no answer to the hiring question?
Fairness in negotiation. How do you ensure pay equity? Do you encourage candidates to negotiate their comp packages? Do you offer flexibility in when, where, and how work gets done?
Onboarding. Do candidates know how they can find community in their workplaces? Whom they can turn to with problems and concerns? Do they have a contact other than their manager or HR who can help them? Does HR or a mentor reach out periodically to check in even after onboarding ends?
Chatbots and automation
Everybody loves a bot, baby. The tech industry is coming hard for the HR department, and chatbots are the shiniest tool they’re selling. There are chatbots for screening candidates, scheduling interviews, fielding FAQs, onboarding candidates, developing employee skills, evaluating performance, managing vacation requests, processing payroll—you name it.
HR is overwhelmed, and there’s nothing wrong with automating work where you can, but employers should exercise caution when 1) using chatbots for candidate assessments, which can introduce bias and really turn off job seekers, and 2) for onboarding tasks, like collecting immigration and tax information, which introduces privacy vulnerability.
Even the most sophisticated chatbots can’t replace human interaction, and job seekers will be able to smell the bullshit a mile away. Think of it this way: Would you rather work for a company that provides a templatized, AI-generated answer immediately, or a human answer in a day?
Responsible AI
We love this trend for you. With all this sexy new HR tech around, be sure to practice responsible AI and use protection.
Intest in:
Explainable AI: Job seekers and employees should understand when, why, and how AI is being used in your interactions with them, and they should be able to trust the results generated by AI-powered tools.
Data privacy: Job seekers and employees should be able to trust that their personal information is being used responsibly and will remain private, and in some cases, anonymous.
Autonomy: Those affected by AI should have a say in how their information is used and be allowed to opt out at will.
Usefulness: Candidates and employees should be able to trust that their information is used for their benefit, and not for discrimination or surveillance.
Interview transparency
Companies are increasingly disclosing information about their hiring and interview processes. Candidates no longer have a tolerance for coy hiring practices and black-box evaluation criteria.
Prioritize:
Details about the hiring process. Put it on your careers site: the basic steps in your interview process, how long it takes, and basic tips on preparation.
Human point of contact. Give candidates a human being to contact with questions and concerns.
Candidate prep. Provide tips on how to succeed in your interviews and disclose evaluation criteria/rubrics. Consider offering practice rounds and interview do-overs. Allow interviewers to provide real-time feedback and guidance.
Improving the employee experience
According to Mercer’s 2023 Global Talent Trends Study, 50% of executives believe they will struggle to meet the demand for talent with their current model, so employee retention will be a primary recruitment strategy. Your employees are now your first candidates and therefore the first audience for your candidate experience.
Invest in:
Career advancement opportunities. Do they have access to regular training and coaching opportunities that let them keep their skills fresh and competitive?
Flexibility. Give them a say in where, how, and when work gets done.
Benefits. According to the Mercer study, 93% of business leaders are focusing on how their benefits can better support retention.
Pride. Are your employees proud to work for your company? What is your public reputation and do they feel the company shares their values?
Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance reporter based in Richmond, VA, who covers the future of work and women’s experience in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Fast Company, Quartz at Work, and Digiday’s Worklife.news, among others.
ABOUT UNCUBED STUDIOS
Launched in 2016, Uncubed Studios is a full-service creative agency with a client list representing the most influential employers on earth along with the high growth tech companies.
The team that brings the work of Uncubed Studios to life is made up of award-winning experts in cinematography, journalism, production, recruitment, employee engagement, employer branding and more.
Interested in speaking with Uncubed Studios? Email us at studios@uncubed.com
