Hannu Juvonen,
Account Manager, Grade
Hannu Juvonen, Account Manager at Grade, specializes in strategic employer branding development and optimizing recruitment processes. He helps organizations build impactful candidate experiences and make effective use of Grade’s modern solutions. Hannu is known for his straightforward, solution-oriented approach in coaching clients toward clear and measurable development steps.
By first identifying which roles you will be recruiting for next within your target groups – and what kind of competencies and experience backgrounds these individuals should have – you can ensure that you are doing the right things at the right time, and at the right touchpoints from the candidate’s perspective.
In addition, once you have examined how current job seekers have experienced your recruitment process, you can begin delivering an even better candidate experience to your target audiences.
When the direction for developing the candidate experience is clear, consider at least the following actions to streamline it in an inspiring way:
Through successful recruitment marketing, you help candidates discover the strengths of your employer brand.
Take advantage of the targeting opportunities offered by paid social media advertising. At the heart of a positive candidate experience is exceeding expectations – so surprise members of your target group by presenting an open role before they even begin actively searching for one.
While advertising platforms offer powerful targeting tools, they are not flawless. The people reached may not always be perfect matches. Therefore, make sure to incorporate a referral aspect into your recruitment marketing campaign messaging. You will reach both representatives of your core target group and individuals similar to them, so openly encourage viewers to recommend the role to their networks.
If paid advertising solutions are not yet familiar to you, we are happy to help.
Remember that professionals reviewing your job advertisement most likely already understand the basic day-to-day responsibilities of the role. Instead of focusing solely on tasks, highlight sources of motivation and opportunities for growth. Prioritize clarity, attractiveness, and emphasize your organization’s employer strengths and unique qualities.
Be transparent about your company culture and values- and explain how these are reflected in everyday work life.
Give candidates the opportunity to see how they would fit into your organization. Don’t miss the chance to introduce potential future colleagues through videos or career stories. Include links within the job ad to an online environment where you showcase authentic employee stories – for example, by utilizing an extended employer presentation page or career site.
Demonstrate that growth and learning are genuinely possible within your organization. Also take into account the upcoming pay transparency directive, which will reshape recruitment practices for all of us.
Make a clear promise of high-quality onboarding and, at the latest during interviews, explain how your onboarding plan has been structured and what it includes.
Ensure that the recruitment process is clear to all internal stakeholders and that every applicant is treated equally. Carefully assess whether, for example, anonymous recruitment could serve as a pillar of equality that your target groups value.
Provide candidates with a realistic timeline already in the job advertisement and keep them informed throughout the recruitment process. Remember that delivering on the promise of seamless communication begins immediately after applications are received.
Focus on open and human-centered candidate communication. Take advantage of the automation capabilities within Grade’s recruitment systems – such as automated candidate messaging- and tailor communications to reflect your organization’s tone of voice. This helps create a positive and transparent communication atmosphere.
Offer candidates clear channels for contacting relevant people during the recruitment process, ensuring they can receive accurate answers quickly and effortlessly. Design these contact channels according to the preferences and needs of your target groups.
Provide candidates with opportunities for personal interaction and consider the expectations of different generations regarding interview processes. However, do not assume that younger candidates prefer only digital touchpoints. A job interview is not only your opportunity to get to know the candidate – it is also the candidate’s opportunity to assess how well their values align with your organization’s.
Be strategic with your time and utilize video recruitment solutions for pre-screening interview rounds. This allows you to explore candidates more deeply around themes that are important for success in the role. Pre-recorded video interviews enable you to get to know candidates beyond their CVs and written applications – and even introduce them to potential future colleagues through video questions.
Introduce candidates to possible future teammates as early as possible. Mutual commitment is key. If you have managed to spark genuine interest in your organization, the role, and motivated the candidate to apply, it is crucial to maintain that engagement until the very end.
Drop-offs toward the final stages of recruitment are common – especially if candidates have not formed any social connection during the process. Keep in mind that you are rarely the only employer receiving the candidate’s time and effort in the form of applications.
Creating an engaging and realistic image of working with the new team at an early stage helps both you and the candidate assess whether the role is truly the right fit.
When you focus on improving the candidate experience strategically, you may discover that you have simultaneously developed a tactical recruitment marketing strategy – one that supports increasing applicant volume while delivering an inspiring candidate experience.
Avoid trying to implement too many development initiatives at once. Instead, prioritize step by step the actions that best suit your organization’s candidate experience goals.
And remember: at Grade, we are here to support you and your organization in delivering a superior candidate experience.
Let’s shape a more effective and impactful candidate journey together – just get in touch.
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