CareerCircle is focused on looking at the whole person to find where they best fit in the corporate world. We want to help our members find sustainable career paths that provide the value, wages, and benefits they need to live happy and fulfilling lives. In this blog, we will cover three incredible success stories that are extremely common examples of our work here at CareerCircle.
<h2>The CareerCircle Difference</h2>
It's important to realize that workers are often slotted into narrow categories early on in their careers, leaving them without resources or opportunities for growth. At CareerCircle, we are working to change the equation by using our platform to:
<ul>
<li>Change employer mindsets&nbsp;on diversity hiring and leadership representation</li>
<li>Encourage workforce development&nbsp;to reduce turnover for a future-proof strategy</li>
<li>Advocate for candidate groups&nbsp;who are often overlooked or passed over for jobs</li>
<li>Offer a 360&deg; candidate view&nbsp;to showcase the whole human &mdash; beyond the resume</li>
<li>Provide upskilling opportunities&nbsp;so candidates can advance or change careers</li>
</ul>
Our mission is to move beyond the equal employment opportunity (EEO) model into a world with <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.careercircle.com/impact" target="_blank" rel="noopener">true hiring equity</a>. Real people use our tools every day to find life-changing opportunities.
We take that pretty seriously.
Not everyone fits into a standard mold &mdash; but that doesn't make them any less valuable or capable. At CareerCircle, we believe in teaching the skills needed to fill the gaps with sales and tech certificates. But we also believe in calling out the important soft skills and personal attributes that often get missed, like drive, loyalty, timeliness, and more.
<h2>3 Success Stories from CareerCircle Members</h2>
Here are three examples of how&nbsp;<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.careercircle.com/courses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">upskilling through CareerCircle certificates</a> made a difference. These candidates made themselves more desirable in the current job market with a little support from CareerCircle's candidate tools.
<h3>Choudiah Brickers: Leaving a Toxic Work Environment</h3>
Choudiah Brickers was struggling to make ends meet in a toxic environment. After finding herself unemployed during COVID, she decided it was time to make a change. She had an interest in tech and wanted to pivot in that direction. However, she needed to create an opportunity without spending a lot of time and money on a degree.
Choudiah turned to CareerCircle courses with Google to become certified as a Project Management and Data Analytics professional. This allowed her to move into a new environment, finding a work-from-home software engineer job that bumped her from $18.50/hr to $25/hr.
<h3>Princewill Nwokeke: A Burning Desire to Grow</h3>
Discovering a professional passion for a field can drive interest in learning more. Even though he wasn't unemployed or facing a negative work environment, Princewill Nwokeke wanted to learn more about the IT field because he loved it.
He searched high and low to find a resource that would develop his skills without a huge upfront cost. For Princewill Nqokeke, the promise of a Google certificate in IT support was a good first step. "The Google IT Certificate has been a blessing to me," he said. "I became hungry to learn more and to grow. I am still on that journey, and I will keep the fire burning."
His move into the tech industry gave him an opportunity to leave his warehouse job and become a Sales Development Associate with a remote company. He continued to pursue professional development and is currently working at Dell Technologies as a Senior Technician Support representative.
<h3>Essi Amefia Monneus: Upskilling to Double Wages</h3>
Doubling what you earn can be a pivotal moment in your career. After Essi Amefia Monneus's husband lost his job, she needed to find a job that was in high demand and offered better pay to fill the gaps. A lot of research and motivation went into finding the right field and making the change through CareerCircle.
After seeing a YouTube ad, she decided to try the Google Project Management course to see if the material was interesting to her and if the role of a project manager would be a good fit for her soft skills. Essi wanted to make sure she wasn't wasting time on a course that didn't offer useful skills. She did a lot of research before starting the Google course, choosing it because it focused on developing in-demand skills.
With new skills on her resume, hiring managers were more interested in considering Essi for the job. After getting her certifications as PMP and Scrum Master, she got a job as an IT Project Manager. Upskilling made it possible for Essi to change careers, going from $27/hr to earning $55/hr at her new job.
<h2>Changing the Status Quo</h2>
Most workers are looking for opportunities that position them for a better future. Employers should take note and provide upskilling opportunities to their current workforce.
Did you know? Research shows:
<ul>
<li>94% of employees say they would&nbsp;stay longer&nbsp;with a company that invested in their careers.</li>
<li>74% of workers feel that the lack of professional development opportunities with their current employer is preventing them from reaching their full potential.</li>
<li>Access to professional development keeps employees 15%&nbsp;more engaged.</li>
</ul>
<h2>#RethinkQualified with CareerCircle</h2>
Whether you are considering a career change or trying to keep your workforce engaged, CareerCircle can help. We understand just how important skilled workers are in today's landscape, and we know many stellar candidates are being overlooked for all the wrong reasons.
If you are considering how upskilling could change your career trajectory, it's time to <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.careercircle.com/candidates/signup?email=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">join our circle</a>&nbsp;and get started.
Or&hellip;
If you want to offer professional development opportunities for your workforce or want help filling roles with qualified candidates,&nbsp;<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.careercircle.com/employers#overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we'd love to help</a>.

These candidates made themselves more desirable in the current job market with a little support from CareerCircle's candidate tools.

3 Incredible Success Stories from CareerCircle Members

<h2>What is Candidate Experience?</h2>
As the name suggests, candidate experience refers to each job seeker's experience with your brand throughout the application and hiring process. If you asked candidates to rate your company's candidate experience, the results would indicate how they feel about your company based on your hiring processes.
Candidates' feelings heavily influence whether or not they proceed with their application or accept your job offer&mdash;which means your company's candidate experience directly impacts the future of your workforce. A great candidate experience can <a href="http://resources.glassdoor.com/rs/899-LOT-464/images/50hr-recruiting-and-statistics-2017.pdf" data-gc-link="http://resources.glassdoor.com/rs/899-LOT-464/images/50hr-recruiting-and-statistics-2017.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">improve the quality of your new hires by 70%</a>. A subpar one can leave you with fewer qualified candidates in the pipeline and a negative online reputation.
<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/the-future-of-work-how-pandemic-era-staffing-shortages-have-impacted-the-job-market" rel="follow">In today's job market</a>, highly skilled employees are in high demand, and they're often in contact with several potential employers simultaneously. The ones that take weeks to respond or make their candidates jump through hoops won't attract top-quality talent.
<h2>Five Ways to Improve Candidate Experience</h2>
Here are several ways your team can improve candidate experience and make the application process frictionless from the first touch to the final job offer.
<h3>1. Write clear, compelling job descriptions.</h3>
A well-written job description is the first step toward hiring the right talent. Your company's job postings should give candidates a good idea of what they can expect from the job itself and your organization.
Remember, the goal of a job description is to <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/how-equitable-staffing-recruiting-companies-match-candidates-careers" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/how-equitable-staffing-recruiting-companies-match-candidates-careers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">attract candidates to an open role</a>, not to brag about your organization or show off your creative writing skills. Candidates may read dozens of postings in a single sitting, so clarity and scannability go a long way. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:
<ul>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">Keep it short and sweet. Lead with the information that job seekers value most&mdash;like compensation, requirements, and benefits&mdash;and sprinkle culture conversations and "about us" content further down the page. Shorter job descriptions (300 words or less) convince candidates to apply 8.4% more often than the average 600-800 word post.</li>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">Use clear language. Every industry has unique buzzwords and phrases, but you don't have to work them all into your job descriptions. Avoid clich&eacute;s and overused jargon and make sure qualifications are easy to understand. For example, "writes all email marketing content" is much easier to read than "collaborates with a team of creative geniuses to deliver impactful messages right to our customers' inboxes."</li>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">Separate must-haves and nice-to-haves. A job description with a laundry list of requirements can intimidate candidates and stop them from applying. As you put together each job post, list your non-negotiable requirements and nice-to-haves in separate lists. These designations make it easy for candidates to skim the page and see if they're a good fit while also giving you the option to surface your new hire 'wish lists' early on in the application process.</li>
</ul>
<h3>2. Reduce your time to hire.</h3>
Today's job market is all about efficiency. Gone are the days when applicants faced days or even weeks of radio silence after inquiring about an opportunity. Instead, employers are speeding up the recruitment cycle wherever possible to avoid keeping candidates waiting. The more time you take to get back to a candidate, the more competitive offers they'll see from other employers.
If someone applied to one of your job posts, they likely applied to several other openings around the same time, and they're more likely to accept offers that come through sooner rather than later. What's more, <a href="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/technology/pages/study-most-job-seekers-abandon-online-job-applications.aspx" data-gc-link="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/technology/pages/study-most-job-seekers-abandon-online-job-applications.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">60% of candidates have backed out of an application </a>due to the length or complexity of the employer's hiring process.
Set internal guidelines about how and when to follow up with candidates at each step in the hiring process. Even if there are inevitable delays, you can improve candidate experience by reducing your time to hire as much as possible. Candidates want <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/getting-ahead-of-the-talent-deficit-5-ways-to-improve-your-staffing-and-recruiting-efforts" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/getting-ahead-of-the-talent-deficit-5-ways-to-improve-your-staffing-and-recruiting-efforts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an efficient hiring process</a> and a potential employer that provides timely updates along the way, so be sure you keep in touch and pass along updates as soon as you have them.
<h3>3. Tell candidates what to expect throughout the process.</h3>
<a href="https://resources.careerbuilder.com/careerbuilder/2016-careerbuilder-candidate-behavior-study-hiring-manager-findings-3" data-gc-link="https://resources.careerbuilder.com/careerbuilder/2016-careerbuilder-candidate-behavior-study-hiring-manager-findings-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nearly 90% of job seekers</a> say clear expectations from employers would improve candidate experience. Knowing what to expect can ease candidates' anxiety, nervousness, and confusion. It can also help recruiters and job seekers stay on track throughout the hiring process. However, it's critical to look at the value of expectation settings for both parties, not just the people applying to come work for you.
Set expectations with candidates about your company's role in the hiring process by answering questions like:
<ul>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">What are all the steps of the application process? How long will each one take?</li>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">What do they need to include in their application?</li>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">How many rounds of interviews or assessments will they complete?</li>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">When should they expect to hear back from your team after the final interview?</li>
</ul>
Laying out the details upfront will keep your team and your applicants accountable and bring transparency to a task that can be pretty intimidating. Avoid feeding candidates small details over time or waiting to complete each step in the process before you tell them about the next one.
This approach gives both parties realistic expectations and helps you stick to your target hiring timeline. Plus, it offers candidates the opportunity to ask questions or get clarification on certain parts of the hiring process so they can <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/quizzes/interview-prep" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/quizzes/interview-prep" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">put their best foot forward during interviews</a> and other important milestones.
<h2>4. Follow up early and often.</h2>
Timely communication is one of the most critical elements of the hiring process and one of the most challenging things for employers to get right. An influx of applications is a positive sign for your organization but one that can leave you and your recruiting team overwhelmed or behind on essential follow-up tasks.
It's tempting to give yourself an extended buffer between interviews or save all of your unread emails for one day of the week. However, these delayed follow-ups negatively affect candidates and your hiring efforts as a whole. Fifty-two percent of candidates say <a href="https://resources.careerbuilder.com/guides/candidate-experience-guide" data-gc-link="https://resources.careerbuilder.com/guides/candidate-experience-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lack of response from employers is their biggest frustration</a> in the hiring process, which means employers with slow response times will miss out on some of their top choice candidates.
Here are several best practices that can help standardize your teams' follow-up efforts:
<ul>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">Don't put off your rejection emails. No one likes being the bearer of bad news, but getting back to applicants on time, no matter the news, will show candidates that you value their time. Prompt updates also empower them to make their next career move as soon as possible, whether that means coming in for an interview or moving on to their next opportunity.</li>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">Streamline interview scheduling. If your organization follows a multi-phase interview process, schedule as many interviews as possible simultaneously. This strategy will help you keep your hiring time low and provide candidates with helpful details about where and when each meeting will occur.</li>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">Respond to candidate thank you notes. During the interview phase, you'll likely receive thank you or follow-up emails from candidates after phone, Zoom, or in-person interviews. Acknowledging and responding to these sentiments makes candidates feel appreciated and demonstrates that your organization is well-organized and genuinely cares about its job applicants.</li>
</ul>
<h2>5. Give and ask for feedback.</h2>
Feedback is an invaluable asset at any stage in someone's career journey, but it's especially beneficial in the hiring process.
Some hiring professionals might be reluctant to reach out after a rocky interview, but <a href="https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/business/talent-solutions/global/en_us/c/pdfs/Ultimate-List-of-Hiring-Stats-v02.04.pdf" data-gc-link="https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/business/talent-solutions/global/en_us/c/pdfs/Ultimate-List-of-Hiring-Stats-v02.04.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">94% of candidates want to receive interview feedback</a> from potential employers. Each time you provide a candidate with feedback&mdash;whether positive or negative&mdash;you're allowing them to reshape their approach to the job hunt, grow their soft skills, or boost their confidence for future opportunities.
Commit to providing feedback for every candidate, even those you don't hire. A simple email recap can go a long way to boost candidates' morale before the next steps or guide them on where and how to improve their resume, interview skills, or professionalism.
Remember that hiring new talent is a two-way process. As you provide feedback to job seekers, don't forget to ask for some in return! Consider sending interviewees a short feedback survey after their interview concludes or directing them to an online portal where they can review and rate your entire hiring process once they complete it. The insights you uncover will help you improve candidate experience and increase the effectiveness of your current hiring tactics.
<h2>Improve Your Organization's Candidate Experience with CareerCircle</h2>
From developing your talent pipeline to revamping your application process, hiring new employees requires a lot from your team. The right staffing partner can help you balance time-sensitive hiring needs with your <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/hiring-vs-workforce-development-stop-patching-holes-start-preparing-for-tomorrow" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/hiring-vs-workforce-development-stop-patching-holes-start-preparing-for-tomorrow" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">long-term talent development efforts,</a> including experience improvements, proactive recruiting, and more.
At CareerCircle, we help employers develop end-to-end talent ecosystems and access new pipelines to overcome the traditional barriers their internal staffing teams often face. Our digital platform connects candidates to relevant career opportunities while expanding employers' talent pools and giving them more control over who and how they hire.
Ready to see how CareerCircle can help you transform your hiring process?
<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/employers/signup" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/employers/signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Join the CareerCircle platform</a> for free to connect with recently upskilled candidates in your field.

Here are several ways your team can improve candidate experience and make the application process efficient and effective.

How to Improve Candidate Experience

Your company's candidate experience directly impacts the future of your workforce. Here are several ways your team can improve candidate experience and make the application process frictionless from the first touch to the final job offer.

A Human Approach to Hiring: How to Improve Candidate Experience

It&rsquo;s easy to get stuck. To spend years in the same position and look back with the feeling that you haven&rsquo;t really gone as far as you thought. Sometimes we may wonder if we are stagnant in our careers because growth isn&rsquo;t possible in our situations. However, the truth is, it can depend on how we look at our current career. Could it be that it&rsquo;s the perfect time to reevaluate and take the next huge step? Jasmine Brown found it to be the perfect opportunity for growth.

After spending 12 years in the security operations space, Jasmine began to come up against that familiar feeling above. She felt stuck and wasorried that there was nowhere to go and she didn&rsquo;t have a path to something greater after all these years in this position. Jasmine identified some of her passions (in her case, computers and technology) and took the necessary steps towards turning these passions into a career.

Her drive moved her in the direction of a Google IT Support Certificate. She used this as her North Star in finding that career growth she was lacking after so many years at her old position. It was the hands-on experience and real-life assessments the course offered that pulled Jasmine in and helped her land a job as a Service Desk Analyst for a local law firm.

Rather than spend another 12 years feeling the same lack of satisfaction with her job, Jasmine <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/career-paths">took action and partnered</a> with the right people and tools to find a career that she truly feels room to grow within. Saying that she &ldquo;learns something new every day and is constantly challenged,&rdquo; Jasmine is well on her way to reaching her next goal of becoming a Network Infrastructure Engineer.

There&rsquo;s only &ldquo;no room for growth&rdquo; if you don&rsquo;t make it. Jasmine shows us all that we are in the driver&rsquo;s seat of our professional futures and we just may need a little extra foot on the pedal to help us get where we&rsquo;re supposed to go. True professional growth sometimes takes genuine action --&nbsp; find the right plan and apply proper dedication to turn a stagnant job into a blossoming career.

It’s easy to get stuck. To spend years in the same position and look back with the feeling that you haven’t really gone as far as you though

Circle of Success: How Jasmine Found a Real Way to Grow Her Career

It’s easy to get stuck. To spend years in the same position and look back with the feeling that you haven’t really gone as far as you thought. Sometimes we may wonder if we are stagnant in our careers because growth isn’t possible in our situations. However, the truth is, ...

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Success

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Articles

3 Incredible Success Stories from CareerCircle Members

A Human Approach to Hiring: How to Improve Candidate Experience

Circle of Success: How Jasmine Found a Real Way to Grow Her Career

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