Why the candidate “care” philosophy will be an advantage

Elliot Clark, CEO of HRO Today, recently sat down with Pip Eastman, Managing Director of APAC Solutions for Korn Ferry RPO, to discuss candidate care as a critical component of the overall candidate experience. How do potential employees feel during the talent acquisition process? Cared for? Respected? In the end, a positive candidate experience starts with solid candidate care.

Korn Ferry RPO works closely with clients on candidate care

Eastman began the conversation by first giving an overview of Korn Ferry's RPO operation and how it works closely with clients on issues such as candidate care.

"Korn Ferry RPO is a global business. We've been operating in the US for close to two decades — and across the APAC region, we were a pioneer in RPO in Australia and New Zealand, which has broadened across large markets in Asia over the last five to ten years. Over that time, there's been a real change in the way we operate and support talent acquisition for our clients."

How talent acquisition is being affected today

Clark and Eastman also discussed the current economic climate, specifically the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how talent acquisition is being affected.

"From a talent acquisition standpoint, you have some industries that are slowing down and the acquisition volume is dramatically decreasing," Eastman said. "Conversely, you have other industries where the volume of recruitment and the ability to scale up or down is really important. Technology plays a key role, particularly AI technology like chatbots, for example, in being able to manage high candidate volume while keeping a high-touch candidate experience throughout the process."

Eastman remarked specifically about industries that are currently evolving at a faster pace than ever due to the pandemic.

"If you think about some of the industries that have had to really pivot in places like supermarkets and healthcare — and the sheer numbers of people that they've had to hire in a very short period of time — it would challenge even the most robust recruitment or talent acquisition function. Utilizing technology to support this has really been quite key."

Candidate care means robust communication

Clark and Eastman both emphasized the fact that high-level candidate care is rooted in robust communication.

"The number one consideration in my mind around candidate care is communication, and that comes in many formats. How are you communicating? How clear is the job role? Is there actually an opportunity? What does the job description look like? What's the company culture like? And these considerations continue through to onboarding, as well. What do new hires need on their first day? Do they have everything they need set up for them? So I think for every single part of the process and how we interact from a candidate care standpoint, communication is absolutely the key."

To listen to the complete conversation, click to access the full podcast with HRO Today here.