How to Translate HR Jargon and Improve Candidate Experience

How to Translate HR Jargon and Improve Candidate ExperienceCandidate experience, employer branding, internal mobility every year, a new HR buzzword hits the industry. Naturally, it takes your team a minute to get used to the phrase and what it means for your processes. Imagine what its like when a candidate comes in for a job interview and you casually drop in a bunch of HR jargon. While HR jargon is part of your daily HR life, its unfamiliar and disorienting to candidates. The problem is these words have much richer definitions than it seems at first. Just think about all the components of the phrase company culture. Theyre complicated topics and can be tough to comprehend at first. Candidates are left trying to make their best guess at what youre talking about. This leads to false assumptions and misunderstandings. HR professionals, internal recruiters, and others involved in the hiring process need to consider HR vocabulary from candidates perspectives. Heres a glossary of common words and phrases that cause confusion during the hiring processCandidate ExperienceWhen you talk about the candidate experience with job seekers, especially when asking them for feedback about your hiring process, they tend to think only of the in-person interview. They assume you want to know how they were treated when they came into the office. But as you know, the candidate experience begins long before that meeting and continues after it.If you want more insightful feedback about candidate experience, dont ask vague, open-ended questions. Instead, breakdown each part of the hiring process. Try formatting your questions in this wayDo you feel communication was sufficient during the hiring process?What specific information did you learn during the interview process you wish had been in the job description?Did you have any trouble submitting your resume and application?Company CultureOutside of the HR world, culture generally defines a nation and its citizens. The idea of an organ ization having a culture is strange to candidates since they think of culture as something youre born into. It makes them feel like they have to prove theyll fit in with your company by changing who they are.However, the point of talking about company culture isnt to make them feel like outsiders. Youre trying to show what unites employees, guides how they act and make decisions, and what they believe in. If that excites candidates, great But if it doesnt, they learn the organization isnt the right fit for them before accepting an offer. When youre talking about company culture, be aya to focus on the candidates happiness. Explain you want them to see how the company could meet a variety of their needs, not just provide a paycheck.CompanyCulture plays a big part in employees happiness. Show candidates while theyll love your organization.Click To TweetDiversity, Inclusion, and BelongingOften, candidates assume these are interchangeable terms, however, each is distinct in how it impac ts the work environment. Chances are, you provide examples of your companys diversity in your employer branding material. Do the same with how you approach inclusion and belonging.A good option is creating employee testimonial videos where each team member talks about how diversity, inclusion, or belonging applies to them at work. Then title the videos using the appropriate term. This will show candidates the differences of each and what they mean to the organization.Internal MobilityThe first time a candidate hears this phrase, it likely brings to mind ways employees move around the office. But companies with strong internal mobility programs show candidates they could have a future with the organization.Dont just mention internal mobility in passing. Go into the details of how your organization promotes from within and why you believe its essential. It also helps to talk with each candidate about the potential paths specific to them.How do you show candidates they have a future at your organization. HRClick To TweetOnboardingMany companies do not adequately approach onboarding. For those organizations and their new hires, onboarding is filling out paperwork and providing a week or two of training. Because of this, your candidates might only be expecting this level of support if hired.Discuss what true onboarding means. Explain how it would extend throughout the candidates first year of employment. Be sure to mentionExpectations and milestones for the candidate after one, three, six, nine, and 12 months.What skills theyll be learning and when.Ways the rest of the team will make them feel welcome.People AnalyticsBecause people analytics is relatively new, most people have unfair biases against it. Candidates hear analytics or data and think youre reducing employees to numbers. They worry your organization doesnt see or value team members as whole people.When talking about how your company uses people analytics, give real examples of how the information led to positive changes. Show that tracking metrics isnt only about productivity, but also about making the workplace better for employees.Show candidates that peopleanalytics arent about dehumanizing employees. They lead to positive change.Click To Tweet