How to Build Trust With Candidates

By Guest Writer | March 21, 2024 | Other

Guest blog written by Tim Horrocks from The Genius Group.

Trust is important in the online world. So much so that Google made it one of their criteria for assessing the quality of online content—it’s the T in E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authority and trust). And why is Google the go-to search engine for so many people? Because they trust it to lead them to the best content. It’s the same with employers. Candidates are much more likely to apply for roles with businesses that they trust. So, how do you build trust and make yourself a go-to employer for candidates in your sector?

Get proactive with content

It’s often said that trust is earned. But really, if you’re not being proactive in showing candidates why you can be trusted, you’re asking them to take a leap of faith in joining with you. Trust turns this leap of faith into an informed choice.

Employer content builds trust by showing candidates what working for you is like. It can also vouch for the authenticity of what’s on offer at your organisation—which could include providing and supporting employee inclusion networks, mental health initiative and the flexible benefits. Employee testimonials can be effective here – a recent survey found that people are twice as likely to trust user reviews over brand messaging. Developing trust-building content starts with finding out what your employees think.

Implement quality onboarding processes

With ‘ghosting’ on the rise, a candidate accepting a job offers doesn’t guarantee that they will become an employee. Building trust with candidates is one way to protect your business against the losses incurred by ghosting. Candidates are much less likely to walk away from an employer that has built trust during the onboarding process.

Right to Work and ID checks are a crucial part of the onboarding process but can be off-putting for candidates. Implementing time-saving solutions like TrustID builds trust by showing that candidate experiences matter to your organisation. It bodes well for the employee experiences that lie in store.

Build your employer brand

Your employer brand is your reputation as an employer. It’s also a tool for engineering how candidates feel when they think about working for you. Employer Branding specialists can help you develop your brand based on the authentic experiences of your employees that potential candidates can trust. The key is authentic messaging based on the real experiences of your employees.

Generating a buzz about your employer brand builds trust by making your organisation a known quantity in the recruitment space. Look at it from a candidates’ point of view—they are far more likely to apply with a company they’ve heard of than one they’ve just found on a jobsite. Leveraging your employer brand can create touchpoints that warm candidates to your organisation before they even become an active job seeker.

Developing a reputation as an employer of choice takes a holistic approach to trust building with every aspect of the talent acquisition strategy. The key is to be proactive. Because online, trust isn’t earned so much as built—with content, branding and candidate experiences.

This blog was provided to us by one of our partners Genius.