09/30/2016  //  By deanna kane  //  Candidate Experience
[socialwrap][socialicon name=”linkedin”][socialicon name=”twitter”][/socialwrap]If your event process drastically varies on a per-event basis, implement the necessary steps to streamline candidates’ experience with your company, and to create replicable processes for your team. A formalized event program can help you run your organization’s recruitment events with unmatched consistency, can eliminate disorder at recruitment events and provide all stakeholders with a clear understanding of event expectations. Learn the solutions to common event challenges, to create a streamlined experience for both recruiters and candidates.

Pre-Event

1. Current challenge: Event materials, historical event venue information and on-site event personnel information are stored across team members’ desktops, personal files and in their own knowledge banks.

  • Streamlining solution: Implement a central event repository so every team member can access one, complete system to manage events and materials. Leverage this streamlined system to delegate staff tasks, drive attendance and coordinate post-event follow-up with candidates.

2. Current challenge:You don’t have a pre-event communication plan in place; potential candidates aren’t engaged with your brand, they don’t know the events you will be attending and your team is unable to pre-schedule meetings with top candidates in advance.

  • Streamlining solution: Leverage event management software to advertise events your company will be attending through branded email templates, invitations, career page integration, social media and event pre-registration links. Share your fall event schedule with talent community members through newsletters and targeted emails. Provide candidates the option to self-schedule meeting slots at the events they will be attending. This will prioritize scheduling in-person meetings with top candidates and prevent the chaos of events getting in the the way of meeting high-potential recruits.

3. Current challenge: Every team member has a different level of comfort and experience using the your company’s talent acquisition software at events.

  • Streamlining solution: Ensure every team member understands your department’s talent acquisition software in order to seamlessly recruit top talent before, during and after events. At the event, every team member should be able to upload resumes, create a record of event attendance and track all recruiter and candidate actions in one platform.

On-Site

4. Current challenge: The recruiting team leaves every event with stacks of resumes to review, and then logs evaluations on spreadsheets.

  • Streamlining solution: If your team is still collecting paper resumes and entering candidate data on spreadsheets, invest in the tools to help you retire this manual process. Implement talent acquisition software to allow candidates to upload their resumes on the spot. Use mobile recruiting apps to capture candidate information and resumes at events. Your team can eliminate reviewing paper resumes, and evaluate candidate information at any point on a phone or tablet without logging long hours in front of a computer or sifting through piles of paper.

5. Current challenge: Some team members are trying to schedule interviews in the middle of events, taking up valuable candidate facing time; other team members are waiting to schedule interviews after returning to the office, which causes delays in the interview process and leads to lost candidates.

  • Streamlining solution: Alleviate scheduling challenges at events by enabling candidates to self-schedule interviews on-site. Once your recruiters identify candidates who will move forward, provide them with the tools that empower candidates to self-schedule interviews, to remove your recruiting team from the often complicated scheduling process.

6. Current challenge: Your team meets many qualified candidates at events, but your company only has a handful of open positions. This means you lose an entire pipeline of high-quality candidates your team could be nurturing until there is a mutual fit.

  • Streamlining solution: Invest in a talent community so your team can maintain continual communication with passive candidates and stay top of mind with qualified candidates until a relevant open position surfaces. If you already have a talent community, work with your team to send regular messages that might include updates on company awards or accolades, open positions, industry events or networking opportunities. Regularly update your careers page to ensure it reflects your current recruitment marketing efforts.

Post-Event

7. Current challenge:There is no post-event, candidate communication strategy in place.

  • Streamlining solution:Once you return back to work post-event, what are your your team’s next steps? If there are not any plans to reach out to those candidates immediately moving through the process, your team is missing out on crucial opportunities to build a talent pipeline. Implement a candidate communication strategy to ensure your talent pipeline stays informed, engaged and excited about your company. Find out the top ways to keep candidates engaged with by following a candidate communication checklist.

8. Current challenge: You return from events without any insight into the results of your team’s success.

  • Streamlining solution: Leverage event management software to gain complete event data transparency. One of the most important components of attending hiring events is measuring the ROI associated with each event. Understand where your recruitment marketing efforts are paying off to accurately determine where to allocate your time and budget to gain the biggest return. Maximize your presence at hiring events by eliminating the guesswork out of identifying which campus, diversity and military conferences result in the highest ROI

9. Current challenge: Different hiring managers and interview teams create an inconsistent interview experience with your organization, and it’s reflected in your company’s online reviews.

  • Streamlining solution:With all the great candidates you will meet at career fairs, it’s important they have a stellar interview experience with your company. Hold trainings with new and seasoned employees to ensure they understand the company’s candidate selection qualifications and interview process. Send an all-company email with interviewing best practices, the company mission and refreshers on dos and don’ts for interviewing. This reminder will help ensure every candidate’s interview experience remains consistent and aligned with the organization’s missions and goals.

 

Are you interested in learning how event management software can help streamline your team’s event experience? Learn more.