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Recruiting can be a very forward-thinking discipline. We are constantly looking toward tech and the future of AI to optimize how we hire candidates. 

But what if there was something so simple, and so obvious, that every single recruiter and talent leader could adopt it right now and it would transform their approach to candidate experience?

Let me tell you a short story . . .

Imagine you are applying for two jobs, one with Company A and one with Company B. Your process with both has been very similar: You’ve submitted your application, you’ve been moved on to screening, and you’re in contact with the resident recruiter and they say:

Company A: “We’ll get back to you in the next seven days.”Company B: “We’ll get back to you in the next 14 days.”

Both reach out in 10 days. How do you feel?

Company B has knocked it out of the park! You weren’t expecting to hear from them for another four days — so this is great! But you’re a little disappointed in Company A. You’ve been waiting around for correspondence and you’ve been left in the dark.

Positive candidate experience hinges on setting expectations and meeting them.

Super boring. Super simple. But super effective.

Setting and meeting (or beating) expectations are keys to great candidate experience

Recruiters are often so caught up in the pursuit of speed that they forget that clarity and consistency can trump this in the hiring journey. While candidates appreciate it when processes and communications are returned quickly, if you set expectations, are clear about what’s to come, and meet these parameters, you’ll find that your applicants will be a lot happier and less frustrated.

As Tom Magliozzi, the late cohost of Car Talk, once said: Happiness = reality – expectations.

It’s a pretty straightforward equation, but there’s lots of truth in it. Candidates will always be happier when the reality of the situation is better than what they anticipated. Unreasonably lofty expectations can be a recipe for huge disappointment. And too often in the hiring process, we don’t set realistic (or any!) expectations and this leads to dissonance. In the absence of structure, candidates will create their own expectations, which you will invariably not meet.

Wendy Mayer, the VP of candidate experience at Pfizer, spoke to me about this on our podcast, and she does a fantastic job of explaining this with her call center analogy:

Gallo carefully maps out every step of the candidate journey

It’s all well and good talking about expectation-setting but let’s dig into a real world example that really nails it.

Gallo, the California-based winemaker, does a superb job. After applying, candidates are sent to an external page where every step of the impending journey is mapped out in detail, from timeframes to helpful interview prep documents and even advice videos from the HR team.

It may seem like such an obvious thing, but from a candidate perspective this is all working toward creating such a positive framing for the experience. And it goes beyond just the overarching process – set similar expectations for your individual meetings and interviews. For example, reiterate how the first 10 minutes will be a Q&A space and how you’ll then move on to 15 minutes of questions about these particular skills, etc. Help candidates understand what’s to come at every opportunity and you’ll see how it drives satisfaction.

Clear, realistic expectations help all candidates, but particularly neurodiverse ones

I’ve always said that an inclusive candidate experience is a positive candidate experience. And expectation-setting is no exception. Not only is it good sense across the board, it is so important when it comes to neurodivergent talent.

I had the pleasure of attending DEAMcon this year and got to hear the incomparable Bev Harp speak on this very topic. “We need really clear expectations,” she told the room. “We need to know what’s going on. Autistic people do really well with being given rules and reasons. We have an idea of how it’s going to go and your contradiction without reason will likely cause confusion.”

And this can be simple things, like clear directions to the interview site, a callout that the office is on the third floor, or a heads-up that there’s construction going on so the candidate will have to park in a certain location. 

To be honest, it’s the kind of information and clarity that would make every candidate’s life a little easier, but for those who are neurodiverse, these clear expectations are vital.

Final thoughts: Excellent candidate experience is mostly about doing simple, obvious things well

This is absolutely not rocket science stuff, but a little more attention given to setting expectations in the hiring process, and meeting these, can make a big difference when it comes to creating a positive candidate experience.

And remember, these expectations don’t have to be fiercely rigid. Things change and that’s totally fine, but remember to keep hiring managers and candidates aligned and in the loop.

Given the shortage of talent, there is a lot of discourse at the moment around how to best create a candidate experience that sets itself apart. People are experimenting with AI or rejiggering traditional formats, for example. But 90% of this genuinely comes down to doing the simple and obvious things well – something so few hiring processes get right! 

By setting clear expectations and meeting (or exceeding) them, you are immediately creating a positive impression.

This post was originally published in Johnny’s Talent Leadership Insights Newsletter.

Johnny Campbell is a serial disrupter in the world of talent and HR. As founder and CEO of SocialTalent, the learning platform that helps you get work-smart, he partners with some of the largest enterprises in the world (such as Disney, Cisco, and Ikea) to help them future-proof their organizations and build better workplaces.

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