Most HR and talent acquisition leaders focus on this single question: “What is it that candidates want?”. The key is to strengthen employer brand, speed time to hire and gain the attention of qualified candidates for open roles. All of these depend on the candidate experience. The ability to attract talent isn’t just crucial, it leans on your candidate’s experience for your job to rise to the top of the list. 
 

In Talroo’s The State of Job Seekers in 2022: A 360° View of the Expectation Gap, most of the respondents to the Talroo job-seeker survey are members of Gen Z (18%), Gen Y/Millennial (19%), or Gen X (21%). Almost one-third of the respondents are from the Baby Boomer generation (32%). Here are some key findings from the survey: 

• More than half said their opinions about work have significantly shifted during the pandemic. 
• Although 62% say higher pay would increase their likelihood of accepting a job, 53% say flexibility is a top deciding factor. 
• About 80% are more likely to apply for a job when salary information is present. 
   

Notably, 75% of respondents are interested in attending a hiring event to find a job, whether it be in person or online. Holding hiring events can pay off in building your talent pipeline and candidate funnel. They make new hires and spread your employer brand, but they require time, planning and effort in order to ensure a positive outcome. 
 

Your Hiring Event and the Candidate Experience
 

Because there is so much uncertainty around returning to work, the candidate experience is crucial. The first question to ask when holding a hiring event is: “Do we have the bandwidth to offer a stellar candidate experience?” 
 

To foster a positive candidate experience, you’ll first need to secure logistics for your hiring event to run smoothly. The goal is to guide every candidate’s eye to your company culture and how success would look in the role. You’ll want to have interviewers or hiring managers on hand (whether in-person or virtual) to do on-the-spot interviews — and make offers. 
 

In-person events involve a lot of logistics (travel, parking, staffing, signage, drinks, snacks, hiring managers on hand) that virtual events do not. That said, no matter how many months you’ve spent in Zoom meetings, virtual events remain far less personal. They also cost less than in-person events, but attendance can be ambiguous. Thus, a major part of the logistics involve lead capture and attendee virtual “check-in,” so you can follow up with interested candidates. 
 

Logistics include having the following items: 

• Online or on-site presentations 

• Available hiring managers in attendance 
• Properly functioning on-site application platforms 
• Any materials or resources that will impact the candidate experience 
   

Related: Drive Online Hiring Event Attendance with Talroo Events 
 

You can have an in-person hiring event and a virtual hiring event in the same week. If you’re holding both in-person and virtual job fairs, ensure that candidates have the same access and availability for both! For example, if you’re offering on-the-spot interviews at your in-person events, consider how to replicate this in your virtual events. Many event platforms are able to host breakout sessions that can be used to do this. 
 

If you optimize the event experience for all candidates, even those you don’t hire will leave your event feeling positive. They will think highly of your hiring standards and come away feeling good about your company as a whole. Now, you’ve created advocates for your company that may refer their friends – who just might be the perfect fit! This is one of the simplest ways for companies to increase quality candidate flow and build relationships along the way.