Psychology research shows that perceived character traits can imprint upon a person in mere milliseconds.
Whether it’s a business that operates a storefront, a product on the shelves or a website appealing to wandering eyes, the principle of first impressions is ubiquitous. Successful entrepreneurs and enterprises understand the valuable but ephemeral window of opportunity to engage customers — or lose them immediately.
In the tech industry, this strategy of first impressions is an integral part of the two-way recruiting process, where the company must also demonstrate its appeal as a place of employment.
At Zwift, a Long Beach-based fitness tech company that promotes active lifestyles through the gamification of exercise, recruiters are actively rooting for their candidates. By prioritizing core values of the hiring process — transparency, communication and interview prep — the company reciprocates the effort put in by the applicant.
“These things allow candidates to not be blindsided and avoid the ‘what if’ or ‘what happens next’ feelings,” said Trish Huyler, senior specialist of talent engagement.
Such efforts are needed: A study by Greenhouse showed that 75 percent of job seekers were ghosted after an interview.
This first impression not only allows potential talent a glimpse into how the workplace operates, but could be used as a gut check when choosing between different employers. A thoughtfully developed candidate experience means that even if they’re not hired, they leave the process feeling respected for their time and having a positive image of the company.
For a closer look at how a tech company can build out a candidate experience with people-focused intentionality, Built In LA sat down with Zwift to see how they make a great first impression on potential team members.
What is the most important thing you want candidates to learn about your company, and how do you communicate it during the hiring process?
I think it’s extremely important for candidates to know how much we prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in both the game and internally within the company, aside from being known for fitness tech. We are actively working to build a team that values these factors and acknowledge that it all starts from within. To help us achieve this, our DEIB work is organized around three core areas: brand presence and reputation, employee experience and Zwift end-to-end experience for product and content. Additionally, we’ve organized several employee resources groups to accelerate our efforts and increase the collaboration and commitment across the company.
In your opinion, what are three ingredients that create a great candidate experience?
I personally believe that transparency, communication and interview preps are the three ingredients that create a great candidate experience. At Zwift, our recruiters genuinely root for our candidates and want to see them succeed. We believe in open feedback, prepping the candidates on who they’ll be talking to next and what to expect before their final interview loop and always circling back as soon as we hear of an update. Communication is key.
At Zwift, our recruiters genuinely root for our candidates and want to see them succeed.”
How has your candidate experience changed over time, and why did you enact those changes?
We have built out a candidate experience survey that we send out to candidates who finish the final interview loop to help us gather feedback. Once a candidate has talked with the entire panel, they have the opportunity to participate in a five minute anonymous survey that asks questions relatable to their overall interview experience with us, from beginning to end. Doing this allows me and my team to continuously improve our recruitment processes to achieve the best interview experience for our candidates.
