The Golden Lanyard - A Simple Way To Improve Your Candidate Experience

I don’t know of a single company who doesn’t want to improve their candidate experience.  

One of the best ways to make a big impact is during the interview process.  Specifically, the on-site interview.

While it’s smart to optimize your hiring process from beginning to end, there are some simple tactics that anyone can employ without much effort or investment.  

One such tactic is something I like to call “The Golden Lanyard”.

If you’re not familiar with what a lanyard is, it’s one of those things you put around your neck at a concert or trade show.  It carries your badge and basically lets people know how important you are by giving you access to certain things...but not others.   

If you’ve purchased the VIP pass, you’ll be treated like royalty.   If you just bought the basic access, your experience will be different.   Much like that of an outsider.

At most companies, when a candidate comes in for an interview, they’re treated like an outsider.  

This experience starts with a robotic, impersonal sign-in process with your front desk staff. This is followed by having your candidate slap a “Visitor” sticker or clip-on badge to their chest.  Then it’s time to sit and wait. Nervously.

By doing this, we make our candidates feel like a common visitor when a simple change to the check-in process could help identify them as VIPs from the start and change their experience dramatically.

The trick is to work with your security or front desk staff and supply them with a badge or a lanyard that is different than what a typical visitor would receive.    In this article, I use the term “Golden Lanyard” merely as a symbol. You might come up with a more creative way to visually identify your candidates.

Once you have this process in place, it’s important to communicate to your employees that anytime they see an individual wearing the “golden lanyard”, they should be extra kind to them.  

For example, if they see someone sitting alone and waiting, they should talk to them.   If they look lost, they should help them find their way. If they don’t have a bottle of water, get one for them.   And if they’re walking by in the hallways say “Welcome!”

While these gestures sound simple, they could have a big impact on metrics such as your acceptance rate, your candidate NPS, your referral volume and your Glassdoor reviews.  

You’ll need to work with your security staff to make sure you’re being compliant with safety protocols but using this simple visual cue is an inexpensive and easy way to improve your candidate experience.