This article originally appeared on lever.co
Meeting candidate expectations across the hiring process can go a long way in helping your company stand out. It’s the little things, done consistently, that help earn employers a reputation for being people-centric: Painless application experiences, timely follow ups with every candidate, a seamless interview process that employs smart questions, and so much more.
That’s not to say achieving these things is easy, because they’re often not. But once your organization embraces the idea that efficient, seamless, and speedy hiring is a must in today’s competitive market, you can turn your attention to the next thing potentially standing in the way of successful hiring — changing workplace expectations and trends you’re not acting on.
Here are eight things you should know that candidates want from employers.
#1: A CEO that prioritizes talent
A recent survey by relationship building platform Thnks found that 96% of employees say it is somewhat important or very important to feel appreciated at work, yet only 37% indicated they were satisfied with the level of gratitude expressed to them at work.
This is just one facet of an overarching demand for CEOs to shift away from thinking of their employees as a resource to a strategic investment. No wonder, then, that The Predictive Index’s 2019 CEO Benchmarking Report found that talent strategy is a CEO’s #2 priority to focus on.
#2: The ability to meet candidates where they are
Technology is now so seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, it’s almost a shock when a company isn’t social, mobile-optimized, or using omnichannel recruiting. Candidates, especially Gen Z, have little time for employees who aren’t able to reach them where they are.
That’s because candidate communication preferences are undergoing a transformation. Gen Zers use their smartphones more than any other device (an average of 15.4 hours per week). And 1 in 5 smartphone users now block advertising when browsing. Last, but not least, 50% of adults aged 18–24 now say that texts are not less (if not more) meaningful to them as calls.
#3: A world-class candidate experience
Imagine the disappointment a candidate might feel after falling in love with your company and applying — only to be lost in a disorganized hiring process that shunts them from recruiter to hiring manager with little to zero communication in between. They’ll be the ones to ghost you!
Today’s candidates don’t have time for disjointed experiences. And with a mere 0.9 unemployed people per job opening in the U.S., your company doesn’t have time for them, either. The best candidates are off the market in 10 days, so providing a world-class experience is a must.
#4: Internal mobility
Over half (57%) of workers today believe it’s easier to find a new job with a different employer than with their current organization. That’s bad news for business — and not just because the average company spends about $4,000 per open role to hire a new worker.
Candidates are hungry for internal opportunities. LinkedIn research shows 93% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their careers. And offering career training and development would keep 86% of millennials from leaving their current position.