TALiNT International: How does Trustpilot’s approach to candidate experience differ from organisations that often discuss the concept of converting candidates into customers, but fail to do so effectively?

Marcelle Foxcroft: It’s the people that work at Trustpilot, and the culture we’ve built together that make it such a special place to work. Two of our key values are to be ‘Positively Human’ and ‘Open to All’. These are not only deeply rooted in our culture and day-to-day but also something we embed into our recruitment process.

We have designed a high-touch recruitment process that demonstrates our values through open and honest communication. We put the candidate experience at the centre of this and support them through each stage of the process with the information they need to properly be their best selves and decide if Trustpilot is the right place for them. We have a structured and consistent recruitment process enabling fairness for all candidates along with building in enough time for the candidate to ask their questions and learn more about our business. We believe interviewing is a two-way street and is a decision-making process for both sides.

At the heart of the process are our people, sharing their authentic experiences and getting to the balance between efficiency (automation) and effectiveness (human personalisation). Ultimately, it’s the little things that make a big difference and we strive to ensure that every candidate walks away with a positive feeling about Trustpilot so that even if they are not a future employee, they will still want to be a future customer.

TI: Why do you think many organisations still struggle with basic candidate communication, such as notifying candidates about their application outcomes, and have not made substantial improvements over the past three decades? Could it be that some organisations simply do not prioritise this aspect of the talent acquisition process due to a lack of genuine concern?

We have designed a high-touch recruitment process that demonstrates our values through open and honest communication.

MF: This is not a simple one to answer and ultimately, I don’t think anyone sets out to offer a bad candidate experience. For some big brands, they have such a global presence that they receive hundreds and thousands of unsolicited applications every month.

When they advertise a role, I’m sure the candidate pipeline is doubled. And in some instances, it is physically not possible to give a personal response to each candidate. TA teams are also leaner than they have ever been and the role of an in-house recruiter is very varied and requires significant partnering and delivery. This is where automation and watertight processes can really help and there are some small wins that companies can implement to ensure candidate communication doesn’t slip.

TI: Do you think that a poor candidate experience is a product of recruiter sentiment due to the tumultuous market and that TA teams have been cut to the bone?

MF: I think there are many factors that drive a positive candidate experience, and not all of them rest solely with the recruiter. A hiring manager who is managing a piece of recruitment is doing so on top of their day job, and there are many business priorities that they need to deliver. Recruiters do everything they can to engage with their hiring managers, agree upfront on key milestones and priorities, and even go so far as to reserve slots of interviews. But in reality, it’s an ever-challenging balance of time, deliverables, and execution. Which we don’t always get right.

TI: Since the pandemic, TA teams have certainly had a bigger seat at the table. Has this bigger and better C-suite buy-in made your job easier?

MF: Easier, no. More rewarding with long-term impact, yes. Our role is to help the business hire the best candidate for the role ­– someone who has the technical expertise to do the day job, who will stay with the company long-term, who will align with the values, and who will add to the overall culture. That sometimes means really challenging the business on what the available talent landscape looks like, what running a fair and transparent recruitment process entails, being a brand ambassador and sharing why it’s awesome to work somewhere as well as evaluating potential for the long term.

TI: I’ve heard that candidates interviewing for a role at Disney imagine being greeted by Mickey Mouse. Does Trustpilot’s employer brand meet candidate expectations? And how does that support hiring?

MF: Our employer brand is about being at the heart of trust! With the ‘us’ bolded, showing that our people really are at the heart of trust. As an organisation, we are creating an online currency of trust, where we bring businesses and consumers together to foster trust and inspire collaboration. So yes, I think our employer brand absolutely meets candidate expectations, supports hiring, and totally aligns with our amazing purpose as a business.

Automation and watertight processes can really help and there are some small wins that companies can implement to ensure candidate communication doesn’t slip

TI: Trustpilot emphasises a strong company culture. How does your talent acquisition team ensure that candidates not only possess the right skills but also align with the company’s cultural values and mission? Can you provide some examples of successful cultural fit assessments or initiatives? 

MF: At Trustpilot, we believe that a strong company culture is essential for our success and growth. Our company values of ‘Always With Integrity’, ‘Open to All’, ‘Positively Human’, and ‘Collaboration’ are really important to us and when hiring great talent we have a stage in the recruitment process that focuses exclusively on our values.

TI: How has Trustpilot adapted its talent acquisition strategies to stay competitive and attract the best talent in this changing landscape?

 MF: I think that by really focusing on candidate experience, we are standing out from the crowd. And our secret sauce is our inspiring purpose, opportunity to drive your own career development and the awesome people that work here. By showcasing this and helping candidates understand what it’s really like to work at Trustpilot and our culture it has been key to securing top talent. We put our people at the centre of our storytelling and it’s their authentic stories that candidates resonate with.

TI: Diversity and inclusion are crucial aspects of modern talent acquisition. What specific steps and initiatives has TrustPilot undertaken to promote diversity within the organisation, both in terms of hiring practices and creating an inclusive workplace Environment?

 MF: We want everyone at Trustpilot to feel a strong sense of belonging, where you don’t feel like you have to fit in, you can just be you. You’re treated fairly, your perspective is valued, and you’re empowered to do the best work of your life. This starts with hiring in an inclusive way.

We have recently launched an Inclusive Recruitment action plan that focuses on eight key initiatives to elevate our recruitment process and help ensure our processes are inclusive. These include updating our reasonable adjustments practices, training hiring managers and our TA team, running consistent and structured processes, and showcasing the diverse nature of our teams to represent a range of backgrounds and experiences on social media, to name but a few. This is a plan we are very proud of and can’t wait to see the great impact it’s going to have.