Creating a Smooth Application Process for Candidates

Let’s talk about hiring and how we treat people in the process. There’s a lot going on in the world right now. For many, the job search only adds more stress and uncertainty. I’ve been thinking about how we can show up for our communities, and in my own work, that means prioritizing how we support candidates. In the progressive movement, we talk a lot about liberation, equity, and justice. But those values don’t always show up where they should (in our hiring practices). Whether we’re building campaigns, nonprofits, or foundations, *how* we hire is just as important as *who* we hire. The process is wicked important. It’s a window into how we operate, how we value people, and how seriously we take our commitments to equity. Here’s what it looks like to treat candidates well in the hiring process, especially in movement-aligned spaces: 1. Transparency & Respect ➡️ Post the salary every time. It’s not radical anymore, it’s baseline. ➡️ Share your timeline and stick to it. If things shift, update candidates about that shift. ➡️ Respond to everyone who applies or interviews. Even if it’s a no, it matters. ➡️ Share interview questions with your candidates ahead of time. This helps them prep and show up as their best selves to the call. 2. Remove Barriers ➡️ Ditch the cover letter and use clear application questions. Or, just ask for a resume and send a short written questionnaire as the first step in the process. ➡️ Again, be upfront about salary and benefits. It saves everyone time and builds trust. ➡️ Be mindful of time. Many strong candidates simply can’t afford to spend 10+ hours on interviews. Keep the process streamlined, focused, and as efficient as possible. ➡️ Compensate finalists for exercises. It shows you value people’s time and helps dismantle unpaid labor culture. 3. Consistent Process & Reduced Bias ➡️ Standardize your interviews. Same questions, same format = less bias, more fairness. ➡️ Use blind grading when appropriate. I like doing this especially for written exercises. A clear rubric helps us focus on key competencies.  ➡️ Make it collaborative. Final stages should include buy-in from both leadership and peers or direct reports the hire will work closely with. 4. The Candidate Experience Is Movement Work ➡️ Share your mission, values, and team vibe throughout the process. Candidates want to know what they’re stepping into. ➡️ For interviews, give candidates a heads-up on who they’ll meet and what to expect. When we treat candidates with dignity and transparency, we build stronger teams and stronger movements. We’re not perfect, and we don’t expect anyone else to be either, but we love partnering with clients who are willing to do the work to get better together. 🔍🔍 What would you add? What have you seen that works (or doesn’t) in progressive hiring? Drop your thoughts below. #EquityInHiring #NonprofitJobs #DEI #WorkplaceCulture #CandidateExperience #HiringEquity #PayTransparency 

A smooth and thoughtful hiring process has far-reaching impact. But every once in a while, you come across a hiring manager who takes it to the next level. Not by doing anything flashy, but by mastering the fundamentals. Recently, I had the pleasure of working with a hiring manager who knocked it out of the park with candidate experience. The client had originally been trying to fill a role on their own. They were looking for someone with in-house experience in pharma or biotech, with experience working with cross-functional teams. From our very first kickoff call, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a typical search. The hiring manager came in prepared and focused. We aligned on the ideal candidate profile, compensation expectations, and interview logistics. We even discussed external factors that might slow things down, like summer vacations or competing priorities, and planned around them. Within just a week, we had strong candidates in play. But what made this process stand out wasn’t speed. It was intentionality. The manager designed a process that made each candidate feel seen and respected. It started with a 45-minute video screen (with a human, no AI here), followed by a series of 1:1 interviews with key stakeholders from both within and outside the department. Each panelist was briefed on the candidate’s background and assigned a different focus area to explore so interviews didn’t feel repetitive, and candidates weren’t asked the same questions by each person. Sadly, this approach is the exception vs. the norm in most interview processes. Hiring managers, take note! Before each round, candidates received a short, personalized briefing: who they were meeting with, what the conversations might focus on, and what to expect next. It sounds simple, but this small step made a big difference. It gave candidates the confidence to show up prepared and the space to have real, productive conversations, not just rehearsed polished talking points. The manager also prioritized closing the loop quickly. Candidates received timely updates and, when possible, constructive feedback. It wasn’t just courteous. It reinforced the company’s brand as a thoughtful and organized employer. Every touchpoint was handled with care. The result? Candidates walked away feeling like they were being recruited, not processed. Multiple people told me it was one of the best interview experiences they’d ever had. And it didn’t require bells and whistles. Just preparation, consistency, and a little bit of empathy. So often we overcomplicate hiring. But this process was a reminder that when you get the basics right—clarity, communication, respect, you don’t just make better hires. You build trust, elevate your brand, and turn candidates into advocates, whether they get the job or not. It’s not rocket science. But it is rare. And it’s something every team can aspire to. #interviewprocess #hiring #feedback

United Airlines has been my airline of choice since they merged with Continental, and it's one of the few brands that has my absolutely loyalty as a customer. And currently, they are having success with "oversharing" around their delays - and it's working with greater customer satisfaction since implementing this strategy. This is something I've noticed in recent months. Looking at my texts, I can see where they let me know that we'd be delayed due to limits on the number of flights allowed to land due to construction at SFO. Another was a technical issue, with regular updates on their efforts to find a new plane. Most travelers know that delays are part of the game, and often outside of the control of airlines. I don't think most of us are unreasonable when faced with delays. The issue is often the lack of information - not knowing why the delay exists, what's being done about it, and estimates on when the issue will be resolved. Recruiting professionals out there, take note because we can learn something from this when it comes to candidate experience. Transparency builds trust, and it leads to a better experience for everyone involved. 1. Embrace the "no update update" Sometimes, just being told you need a bit more time to review an application or have scheduled all of the interviews needed can alleviate a lot of anxiety vs someone applying and sitting in an applicant pool for weeks or months on end! At Zapier, we try to communicate every 7 days...we may miss the mark sometimes, but our hope is that candidates are never wondering where they stand. 2. Share "the why" Airlines have always let us know when there's a delay - that's not new. But sharing the "why" behind it is. That can feel scary, especially if the news is something like, "we've extended an offer, but think you're amazing and if it doesn't pan out, we'd love to hire you". But candidates ultimately appreciate it, AND it shows them they can trust what your company tells them. Offering feedback after interviews is another way to do this and leave people feeling a less confused around rejections. 3. Tell people what to expect Let candidates know who they are interviewing with. Let them know what topics will be discussed. Tell them how you plan to set their compensation. The more information you can provide candidates, the better the experience will be for everyone. If any of these seem hard, there are tons of tools out there that can help. candidate.fyi creates a candidate hub making it easy to share this info directly with candidates (and empower candidates in a variety of other ways). Crosschq provides an arsenal of data, and one of my favorites is color-coding candidates so you can see when a candidate needs communication. And most decent ATSs will help you automate those "no update updates". It doesn't take significantly more effort to create a significantly better candidate experience - just lean into transparency!

While leading TA at Going, we implemented a search-based cohort hiring model, and it became one of the most impactful shifts in how recruiting operated. We’d open a role with a defined application window, move candidates through the process on a shared timeline, and make decisions with structure and clarity. It wasn’t rigid. We stayed flexible. Sometimes the right candidate wasn’t in that first cohort, or timing didn’t work out. When that happened, we’d reset and run the search again. But even with that, it was still far more effective than managing candidates in five different stages with no shared context or end in sight. Here’s what this approach unlocked: ✅ Aligned timelines and expectations Everyone knew what was happening and when. It gave hiring teams space to plan, focus, and reduce context switching — which led to faster, sharper decisions and a more cohesive process. ✅ Faster, more confident decisions Evaluating candidates side by side helped patterns emerge more clearly. Strong alignment stood out. Misalignment did too. ✅ Less recency bias When everyone moves through at the same pace, decisions become more objective. You’re not relying on memory from weeks ago. ✅ More consistent feedback When interviews happen in a tight window, feedback loops actually work. Interviewers stay engaged and hiring managers don’t lose context. ✅ Better candidate experience Candidates had clear expectations and timely communication. No wondering where they stood or what came next. ✅ Cleaner, more actionable data Because the process was consistent, the data meant something. We could identify drop-off points, optimize pass-through rates, and actually learn from the search. And the results spoke for themselves: 📉 We reduced time to fill by 41% ✅ We saw a 100% offer acceptance rate. ⭐ And a 5/5 QoH rating within the new hire's first 90 days. Was it perfect? No. It takes planning. It takes alignment. And yes, sometimes you’ll need to rerun a search. But in a fast-moving org, the clarity, speed, and quality this model gave us made it more than worth it. Hiring doesn’t need to feel reactive. With the right structure in place, it becomes focused, fair, and far more effective. Have you tried something similar? Would love to hear how it worked for you. 👇

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

Why do we put so much effort into attracting job applicants only to subject them to an unnecessarily long and arduous application process? I often come across the argument that if the application is made too easy, we'll be inundated with a flood of applicants. But isn't that a positive outcome? If you're seeking to enhance the application rates for your job openings, here are a few suggestions: 1) Treat the application page like a landing page, with conversion as the primary objective. Remove any redundant content and keep things straightforward. Place the crucial information above the fold, where it's easily visible. 2) Keep the focus on the applicant. Instead of starting your job description with a lengthy letter about your company's vision, emphasize what the applicant stands to gain regarding compensation, benefits, and growth opportunities. 3) Request only the essential information. Each additional question you ask will likely result in a higher drop-off rate. Typically, asking for their name, contact information, and resume should suffice. Sometimes, you may require a few knockout questions (e.g., a driver's license for delivery drivers). A useful guideline is only to ask questions that, if left unanswered, would automatically disqualify them from an interview. If you want to attract the best candidates, simplify the application process. #employeeengagement #talentacquisition