On Oct 28, BC Tech hosted senior talent professionals at the Innovation Hub to share stories, tips, and secret recipes to provide an exceptional candidate experience to job applicants, from the moment they first click on a job description to the moment they are hired and on-boarded. Panelists included Kraig Docherty, Senior Talent & Culture Director at Eventbase, Sarah Blackmore, Director of People at Bench Accounting, and Meghan Nichol, Director of People & Culture at BroadbandTV. Moderated by our own VP of Community, Rocky Ozaki, panelists had a lively and forward-thinking discussion that left the crowd thoroughly engaged and full of fresh ideas to take back to their workplaces. If you missed it, here are few key takeaways from the conversation:

• A strong employer brand is critical to build, as potential future team members will likely have heard of you (good or bad) before ever applying for a role;
• Involve all departments in crafting an amazing candidate experience – they all have unique perspectives and ideas to make it amazing;
• Open houses are a great way to introduce future candidates to your company culture as well as involving your team members in the recruiting process;
• Treat candidates as you would like to be treated; the more relaxed and prepared they are, the better chance that you’ll see who they really are;
• If a candidate makes it to a phone or personal interview, they should always be given the courtesy of a phone call if they are not moving on in the process;
• Don’t try to emulate other company recruiting processes – tailor to your culture;
• Train your hiring managers on how to interview, critique, stay objective and be prepared for the interview with candidates;
• In the end, remember: when thinking “candidate experience” you should think of humanizing the experience – don’t treat candidates like a number.

To stay tuned on upcoming talent events, check out our events calendar or join our Tech Talent Meetup group. To learn more about BC Tech’s talent initiatives, click here. What other talent topics would you like to hear about? Would you like to raise your hand as a future panel speaker? Let us know by emailing talent@wearebctech.com!