It is essentially a given that communication in the hiring process is one of the most important aspects of providing a great candidate experience and standing out from the competition. Still, according to recent statistics, over half of job seekers don’t receive any notice whatsoever regarding their application status for at least a month. While it certainly improves the situation to communicate with job seekers in any capacity, recruiters and hiring managers should be shooting for a much quicker turnaround time to contact applicants.
Communication, and more importantly, the speed at which you communicate, can truly make or break your business. In the time that candidates are waiting to hear back from you, they could potentially be looking for employment elsewhere while fostering an increasingly negative view of your company. At Mindscope, we have found that connecting with a candidate within an hour, regardless of whether that communication is positive or negative, increases the chances of them responding by double.
If your communication tactics could use an overhaul, you have come to the right place.
The True Cost of Not Communicating
A common recruiting tagline that many job seekers are likely familiar with is along the lines of, “We will only contact you if selected for an interview.”
While this statement covers the bases of explaining why a job seeker may not be contacted, connecting in some capacity with every candidate that has shown interest in your company is always the better option.
‘Ghosting’ is as common among hiring managers as it is for job seekers – more than one-third of job seekers received absolutely no response from the last company they applied to. However, it is time to realize that there is value in communicating with every candidate, even if they aren’t the right fit for the particular position. Poor communication can lead to a negative employer brand and reputation, damaging online reviews and potentially cause a loss in future candidates.
When it comes to communicating with candidates that you do want to move forward with, the benefit of connecting with them quickly is obvious. If you don’t act fast, your top choice could be off the market before you know it, which could lead to lengthy unfilled vacancies, having to choose candidates that aren’t as qualified, and overall loss in profitability and productivity.
Recognizing the potential weight that inadequate communication can have on your overall operation is critical in making changes in the right direction. Suddenly, taking a few moments to send an email or make a phone call doesn’t seem as challenging.
How to Communicate
Understanding that communication shouldn’t be foregone is step one. Step two is determining the best methods in which to connect with your candidates in a way that makes sense for everyone involved.
Email is the most common vessel for professional communication, so it makes sense to start your improvements here. Ensuring streamlined and succinct email communication is important – however, according to a recent survey, only 13% of rejected candidates received a personalized rejection email or phone call. Depending on your volume of applicants, consider templated emails or automated messages to help with the number of applicants. Even if it’s just a short note to let them know they weren’t the right fit, that little bit of communication can mean a world of difference.
Using recruiting software to communicate is another effective way to manage quick communication on both an internal and external level, and opting for a feature-rich and user-friendly system will work in your favour. With a powerful applicant tracking system, a significant portion of your business’ communication can be both personalized (via templates) and automated to save your recruiters ample time while still providing stellar applicant engagement.
Regardless of the communication methods you choose, having a plan in place for communicating with potential candidates – and one that has speed top of mind – needs to be one of the leading priorities for recruiters, this year and beyond.
Mindscope’s Candidate Engagement Buttons
Communicating quickly with applicants that cross your path can be a far less daunting task when you have the right tools at your disposal. Mindscope has developed a method of communicating with potential candidates in record time, and all from within your email inbox.
Integrated with your Outlook account, Mindscope offers innovative ‘Reject’, ‘Accept’ or ‘Request Additional Information’ buttons. When a new candidate comes through your inbox, you have a choice to click one of these actionable buttons. Not only do the buttons correspond with an action within your candidate statuses and database pipelines, but they also send out a templated email to the candidate based on the button that you click:
Candidates that are accepted will receive an email letting them know of the next steps required of them
Candidates that are rejected will receive an email letting them know you will not be moving forward
Candidates who you are unsure about will receive an email requesting additional information, such as supplementary professional documents
Regardless of the email they receive, the sheer fact that you communicated at all – and within minutes – will be a breath of fresh air. Equipping your recruiters with the ability to engage with potential hires on a nearly instantaneous level is crucial in the staffing sphere and will allow your company to stand out to candidates in a positive light.
Mindscope is always eager to share our innovative products with new and existing customers in order to help them elevate their recruiting efforts and connect with more qualified candidates. Our new UI is here – find out how we are changing the game by requesting a demo today.
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