Designing Applicant Experience

Abstract

The subject for this master thesis was chosen based on personal interest towards development of recruitment process and suggestion from the commissioning party to investigate and improve the current applicant experience. Recruitment practices were explored to form a clear picture of the current state of the process and possible development areas were recognized and analysed more in detail. Service design method was chosen, because it provided more user-centric approach to the subject than many other development methods. Service design process consists of 4 phases: discover, define, develop and deliver.

Discovery phase was started by creating Experience Map describing the current applicant journey and observing one group interview session. The main object was to recognize the weak spots and get familiar with the current recruitment process in applicant’s point of view. In define phase online survey was created and sent to approximately 800 applicants. Based on 150 answers that were received, two personas were created to present the typical applicant types. The survey was published in the beginning of March 2024 and remained open for 6 weeks until the recruitment process ended. Development phase included a workshop that was organized in the end of May 2024. During the workshop Lego Serious Play and How Might We tools were used to explore further different solutions and developing ideas. As delivery phase, an action plan was created based on survey results and workshop material. The action plan was presented to Company X in the end of September 2024.

Action plan that was introduced to the commissioning party consisted of 8 development ideas. Not all ideas were supposed to be implemented simultaneously, but the idea was to provide different solutions of which the company could choose the ones that were most suitable for them. Communication during the recruitment process was one of the weak spots according to survey and that’s why it was suggested that every applicant should be informed preferably within one week. A demand for video interview option was also clear based on survey results and it was proposed for the company as well. Pre-test or interactive web page were recommended to screen out unqualified applicants and provide instant feedback about person-job fit. In addition, tests and questionnaires are an easy way to evaluate and compare applicants without bias, since the scoring is objective. The importance of feedback was also highlighted from survey findings and that’s why several options for feedback were introduced. Co-operation with schools and open days could be beneficial, when building relationships new graduates. Gamification is an innovative way to take the applicant experience to next level.

Since most of the applicants answering the survey belonged to Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012), the action plan was created to serve the young generation and aimed to attract fresh school graduates that are only entering the workforce. Even though these actions are planned for Company X, they could be beneficial for any employer providing entry-level jobs. The topic is actual, because new ways for attracting future talents are needed. The applicant experience during the recruitment process has a huge impact on employer brand and that’s why it’s vital that the process is professional and well-organized.