From Application to Onboarding: Creating a Seamless Candidate Journey

Hiring a new employee is a process fraught with challenges and difficulties. Companies must contend with monetary costs, and hidden fees are always present. These are often overlooked but have a significant impact on day-to-day operations.

On average, a single recruit costs companies around $4,700. This is because the recruitment process involves hiring, onboarding, and training candidates as well as evaluating their performance for appraisal purposes. It does not end with hiring the candidate, ongoing human resource management is essential to ensure long-term success.

Technology can be utilized at every stage of human resource management to enhance the optimization of the entire process. Starting with helping to select candidates, transitioning them into a working position, and developing their skills, digital solutions are helping companies optimize hiring and retention. Just as importantly, tools like employee recognition software are increasingly being used to boost engagement, improve morale, and reduce turnover—key factors that ultimately help maximize the return on investment for every new hire.

AI-powered tools, softwares, and other digital technologies have already made a huge impact in the recruitment industry.
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Navigating a Candidate’s Corporate Journey

To understand how technology can help in a candidate’s journey, it is necessary to understand the different components that make up that journey. It all begins when a company identifies an available position and advertises it.

Candidates apply for the position, and the selection process begins. Resumes are sifted through, and candidates are shortlisted. There may be multiple steps involved at this stage, for example, many companies have several rounds of interviews before a suitable candidate is selected. 

The selection results in a proposal to join the company. The candidates receive the offer letter, and if accepted, the candidate can be onboarded. 

Even after onboarding and a smooth transition into the position, the candidate must be evaluated regularly. Employees are assessed on performance to be reimbursed and appraised for their contributions. This is the journey that human resource management must oversee so that recruitment can reap benefits for both the company and the candidate.
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Integrating Technology to Make Each Step Seamless

Here is how technology can be used at each of the steps mentioned above to improve efficiency and increase productivity:

・Attracting Candidates

The journey begins when the company identifies potential candidates for a new hire. This could mean being informed about a job opening. This requires advertisement on a suitable scale to attract the right kind of candidates. Companies can post job openings on recruitment websites or use social media platforms. LinkedIn is an excellent source for looking for candidates.

Additionally, businesses can always hire recruitment companies that specialize in sourcing and vetting candidates. Recruitment companies have the resources and the reach that most businesses do not, since searching for candidates is at the core of their business operations. These agencies often rely on modern tools to improve efficiency and candidate matching. For example, using a CRM tailored for staffing agencies helps recruiters manage relationships, track applicant progress, and coordinate communication more effectively throughout the hiring process.

・Application Submission

Interested candidates then submit their resumes and apply for the position. This process may result in an inundation of applications. Skimming through all the resumes may be a tedious process; however, this has been streamlined and made simple due to the use of AI. 

AI is being utilized to carefully evaluate each applicant’s credentials and identify the best candidates for the company. AI software can be trained to detect desirable applicant characteristics. The AI will determine, based on rigorous learning, the type of candidate a company is looking for, regardless of the position or job type.

・Shortlisting Candidates

Candidates are selected through a standard procedure that involves shortlisting based on their resumes, followed by a series of interviews. Interviews may be held remotely or in person. Generally, the number of interviews held increases with the rank and designation level within the company. In some cases, candidates may be required to take tests or complete tasks to prove their skills and qualify for the job. Companies have various methods for selecting candidates, as they have different requirements.

Related article : Work First, Interview Later

・Hiring 

Once the selection process is complete, the successful candidate or candidates are given an offer letter along with the contract. The contract details the employment terms, such as the salary, benefits, working hours, and paid leaves. The offer letter is a formal declaration of the candidate’s selection. If any documentation is required from the candidate, such as reference letters or character certificates, these are also requested at this stage. 

・Onboarding and Training

The process does not conclude with hiring. Seamless integration of employees into the company necessitates a well-executed onboarding process. This includes familiarizing the candidates with the corporate culture as well as the rules and procedures that are embedded into the daily operations of the company. 

This is a continuous process; even when employees gain experience at the company and become accustomed to the internal operations, there is no room for complacency. In many industries, technology is quickly changing the way things are done. It makes training and learning new skills indispensable. 

AI can be used to detect areas where workers are lacking and identify skills they must gain. Then, a suitable training program can be introduced so employees can maintain their skills and competitiveness in the industry. 

Related article: 10 Reasons a Skills Assessment Tool Supports Employee Growth

・Performance Evaluation

The real test of whether a suitable candidate was selected or not, and whether they have been able to optimize their productivity, can be gauged through performance evaluation. Performance evaluation is the last piece of the puzzle. It is what clarifies the picture and helps assess the success or failure of a new hire. 

There are many different metrics that are used and collected to produce a well-rounded image of an employee’s performance.

To support this process, many businesses use performance tracking tools that collect and analyze data on individual employees, teams, and even entire departments. These softwares can be customized to keep tabs on freelancers, teams, and even entire business divisions. It is versatile and easily scalable. 

Evaluation is essential for judging current recruitment practices, not just individual employees, and enables companies to make better hiring decisions in the future. The entire journey is a learning process, one that improves recruitment as more data is collected. 
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Relevance of Recruitment

Learning about recruitment and studying the journey from attracting candidates to hiring and evaluating them is important. No matter how advanced technology may become, human resources will always be needed. While the tasks they perform and the skills they must possess may transform drastically, human workers will not become redundant anytime soon. 

It is worthwhile to investigate how recruitment is done and the results it provides to improve human resource management overall. Human resources is among the major costs for companies in many industries. Increasing efficiency necessitates improving worker productivity.

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