Creating a Positive Candidate Experience in Remote Hiring

📱 My phone’s been blowing up lately—colleagues on both sides of the hiring game are venting about the same thing. Job seekers can’t land roles, and hiring managers can’t find people who actually stay. About half of my network who were job-hunting have found something, but the other half are still stuck in the grind. Meanwhile, companies tell me that even when they do make a hire, retention is a nightmare—new employees are bouncing within six months. The disconnect is real: companies are hiring, candidates are applying, but something is clearly broken. Traditional hiring—bloated job descriptions, ATS black holes, and never-ending interview rounds—is failing everyone. So, what needs to change? 🔄 Here’s what I’ve seen work: ✅ Ditch the ATS Dependence – Get back to human recruiting instead of relying on keyword filters. ✍️ Fix Job Descriptions – Make them clear, real, and relevant—cut the jargon. 🤝 Prioritize Personal Connections – Hiring managers should actively engage instead of passively posting. 🎯 Focus on Skills, Not Just Titles – Look at what candidates can actually do, not just where they’ve been. ⏳ Speed Up the Process – The best talent won’t wait around for a four-week approval cycle. 💬 Improve the Candidate Experience – Give real feedback and make the process transparent. Here’s a real-world fix I put in place: At a previous company, the hiring pipeline was a mess—ATS filters blocked great candidates, and the process dragged on. I introduced a referral-first hiring approach, tapping employees’ networks before posting publicly. We also replaced multiple early-stage screenings with a 30-minute call with the hiring manager. 📉 Time-to-hire dropped 35% 🎯 Quality of hires improved—better fits, fewer regrets 📈 Retention rates increased—candidates knew exactly what they were signing up for 🔑 Bottom line: Hiring is broken, but it doesn’t have to be. The best hires come through real connections, not algorithms. What’s been your biggest hiring (or job search) frustration lately? Drop a comment 👇 #Hiring #Recruiting #JobSearch #TalentStrategy #HR #FutureOfWork

Whether a candidate gets a job or not, they deserve feedback or a response, not to be ghosted. A rejection is better than silence. ❌ > 🫥 When I was a recruiter at my last company, my manager set an expectation that all candidates would receive a response no matter if they got an offer or not. In addition to that, the interview process would provide them updates every step along the way. By ghosting and not providing a response or feedback, it shows the culture of the company. Companies who provide transparency, empathy, and communication to job seekers are more likely to see a positive outcome of : 👏 Strengthens Candidate Experience: Providing clear communication, even in rejection, contributes to a positive candidate experience, which can impact how candidates talk about your company to others. 🤝 Reflects Company Culture: How you treat candidates reflects your organization’s values and culture. Consistent, respectful communication shows you prioritize transparency and integrity. 🫶 Enhances Employer Brand: Candidates who feel respected, regardless of outcome, are more likely to view your company positively, boosting your employer brand and making it more attractive to future talent. Candidates deserve transparency on where they are at and that’s why I love ActiveCampaign. It is an essential tool for keeping candidates informed during the interview and offer process, ensuring they receive timely updates and don’t feel ghosted—even if the decision is a rejection. With automated follow-ups and personalized messaging, it shows respect for candidates' time and efforts, creating a positive experience that builds trust and professionalism. A clear response is always better than silence, and ActiveCampaign makes it easy to deliver that respect throughout your hiring process. The candidates that didn’t end up getting an offer or moved forward through the process,  expressed that they appreciated that there was some form of response even though it was a rejection. The job search is hard enough, let’s not make it harder by ghosting 💙 #activecampaignpartner

Candidate Experience is not just about the big moments; the small touchpoints matter too. 💡 Start focusing on these commonly overlooked touchpoints and start attracting more qualified candidates: 1.    Streamline the Application Process Remove unnecessary questions and steps from your application form and make it mobile-friendly. 2.    Personalize the Process Stop using no-reply email addresses, use candidate names & pronouns in all communication, and be mindful of what days of the week you reject candidates. 3.    Set Clear Expectations Share details of the process and timeline, and help your candidates prep for interviews by sharing the interviewer’s profile and the topics that will be discussed before the interview. 4.    Timely Feedback Share feedback with candidates! There are a ton of ways you can do this without getting into legal trouble, so stop hiding behind that tired excuse… Your company’s reputation in the eyes of candidates plays a huge role in attracting qualified talent. #candidateexperience #talentacquisition

🚨 STOP GHOSTING CANDIDATES. IT IS COSTING YOU MORE THAN YOU THINK. 🚨 You have been there. A candidate pours their time and energy into your interview process, only to be met with radio silence at the end. But here is what most hiring teams do not realize: Ghosting is not just rude, it is expensive. Here is how: - Reputation Damage Candidates talk. Sites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn amplify bad experiences. One ignored email can cost you top-tier applicants down the road. - Lower Offer Acceptance Rates If your process is disorganized, candidates will assume your company is too. They will take an offer from a company that respects their time. - Lost Revenue A poor candidate experience equals fewer referrals, slower hiring, and lost productivity. It is a ripple effect that impacts your bottom line. So what is the fix? Simple. Close the loop. ✅ Automate rejection emails with a personal touch. ✅ Provide feedback even if it is just a short note. ✅ Set expectations upfront. “If you do not hear from us by [date], reach out.” The best recruiters know this. Every candidate is a potential future hire, customer, or advocate. Treat them that way. 💡 Have you ever been ghosted in a hiring process? What was your takeaway? 🔁 Know a recruiter or hiring manager who needs to hear this? Repost this to spread the message. #CandidateExperience #HiringBestPractices #RecruitingTips #EmployerBranding #TalentAcquisition