Have you ever applied for a job and spent twenty minutes uploading your resume into the ATS, only to find out you have to redo all the information manually? Super annoying, right? Though this classic hang-up may seem trivial, it’s not. It’s part of the candidate experience, which is a critical component of your job as a recruiter.

We heard a lot last year about it being a candidate’s job market. Well, that’s not going to change in 2018. Unemployment rates are at a rock-bottom 4.1%, and the demand for top talent is ever-increasing. Meanwhile, the gig economy is thriving. Millions of potential candidates are taking their in-demand skills and making a go of it on their own. All of this adds up to a big problem for businesses: it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find available, high-quality candidates in today’s job market. Candidate experience has never been more important.

Businesses have no choice but to bring better offers to the table if they want to snag a rockstar candidate. But what happens before they get to the offer stage? A good candidate experience doesn’t start with the client - it starts with the recruiter. Here’s what you can do to make sure you’re delivering the best experience possible.

Start with the Right Candidates

Don’t waste your time sending out dozens of emails to random candidates. Instead, spend it vetting candidates based on their needs. Use their resume to form a narrative of what they’re looking for in a job. What’s their ideal company culture? What perks does the position offer that would appeal to them? And most importantly – are they a good fit for the client, and vice versa? Focus on quality over quality, and you’ll have better luck attracting candidates. If you’re a Crowdstaffing Recruiting Partner, you might want to check out our regular Client Spotlight posts, which include tips to help you identify the best candidates for our biggest clients.

Know What You’re Talking About

Learn the job description backward and forwards, especially if you’re aiming for passive candidates. Think about it: would you want to invest time applying and interviewing for a job if you didn’t know a lot about it? People are busy these days, so you’d better make sure you’re ready to answer any questions your candidates might have. If the job description is too vague, don’t be afraid to reach out to the account manager and ask for clarification. They want you to succeed, too!

Walk Them Through the Application Process

We all know the application process sucks. It’s just a fact of life. Tailoring your resume, filling out forms, waiting to hear back, interviewing, waiting some more…it’s exhausting. Here’s what you can do to help: ensure candidates understand the process by being transparent, then keep them updated throughout the pipeline. From the very beginning, you should let candidates know how to apply, what the interview(s) will be like, and how long they can expect to wait before things start getting exciting. Again, you can get this information from the account manager, or by watching our client spotlight webinars.

Be Personal; Be Personable

I’ll let you in on a little secret: candidates hate generic auto-responses. Why? Because it feels like a slap in the face after they’ve jumped through so many hoops. Always try to customize your emails, or better yet, give them a call whenever there’s news to share. If you must work from a template, be sure to add some personal flair and a helpful tidbit, like a blog post or video that might interest them. The goal is to build a relationship with your candidate, so their ears perk up whenever they hear from you.

Let Them Down Gently

Unfortunately, not all candidates will make the cut (though it would be awesome if they did). When that happens, you have to break the news. But it doesn’t – and shouldn’t – mean goodbye forever. If you want to stay in your candidate’s heart, offer to help them find new opportunities in the future or include a link to similar job openings that are available right away. Give them helpful feedback that they can use next time around, and consider asking them about their experience with the client and the hiring process. Lastly, and most importantly, never reject a candidate who has interviewed via email. They deserve a phone call after all that hard work.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

In a world full of social media, where brand image reigns supreme, candidate experience matters more than ever. A bad experience will reflect poorly on the client and may even affect your reputation as a recruiter. And if a disgruntled candidate also happens to be a customer, your client just lost business. Of course, you can’t change the outcome of the interview, but you do hold the power to shape the candidate experience from the first point of contact. Remember that and go forward with these tips in mind.