Candidate experience

12 Small Ways to Delight Your Candidates

This is Part III of our candidate experience series. Be sure to check out best practices from Airbnb and Rapid7 too.

Christina Foster spends much of her days trying to improve the candidate experience at LinkedIn. Over the past few years, she and the LinkedIn Recruiting Central Services team have implemented 12 practices to delight candidates who have made it to the onsite interview stage and beyond.

“These tactics help improve communication with candidates, showcase LinkedIn’s culture, and make the interview process as smooth as possible,” says Christina.

Here is the list:

1. SMS[in]

Candidates receive a text informing them that their onsite interviews are scheduled.

 sms-message

2. Culture video emails

Prior to onsite interviews, candidates receive an email with videos featuring LinkedIn’s culture. For example, here’s Meg Garlinghouse, the Head of LinkedIn for Good, talking about the company's culture of transformation:


 

3. Traffic update text

If candidates are driving to the office on interview day, they receive a text with auto-populated traffic conditions.
 traffic-texts

4. Coordinator welcome video

Certain remote candidates receive a video message wishing them luck prior to interviews.
 Coordinator-Video

5. Candidate badge

When candidates arrive on the LinkedIn campus, they receive an orange visitor’s badge so they are distinguished from regular visitors.

lobby-badge

6. iPad

Upon arrival, candidates receive an iPad loaded with their schedule and interviewers’ LinkedIn profiles. They also see a welcome video from CEO Jeff Weiner, and have access to blogs and videos about LinkedIn’s culture.

 ipad-interview-list

7. InMap

Candidates get a visual rendering of their first-degree connections, another way in which LinkedIn incorporates its product into the candidate experience.

InMaps

8. Goody bag

Candidates receive snacks to help them through what is sometimes a long day of interviews.

Snack-Bags

9. Tours

Candidates get tours of the LinkedIn campus, allowing them to feel the office energy and see people at work...and of course see some of the cool perks.

linkedin-office-tour

10. Gift boxes

Depending on what’s relevant to the candidate or new hire, they’ll receive LinkedIn swag.

Gift-Box2

11. Thanks for coming [in]

Candidates receive a thank you email the day after coming on site which outlines next steps and asks for feedback.

Thanks-for-Coming-In

12. You’re [in] card

New hires receive a welcome note on the first day of work.

you-are-in 

What do you do for candidates who make it on-site? We want to hear from you at @HireOnLinkedin. #candidateexperience

global recruiting trends

 

 

Have blog stories delivered to your inbox