4 tips for better communication and engagement with your candidates

Your candidates are your customers

2 weeks ago, I heard a story about a company with a strong brand that had invested in a great, new applicant tracking system to deliver a better recruitment experience for everyone; candidates especially. Real thought had gone into the candidate journey through to application and importantly that the application itself was relevant and was not tedious.

The new solution went live and the ratios of candidates starting an application and completing it were very encouraging but there was a problem – they were dropping out of the process in droves. The technology was working just as it should; all candidates were receiving acknowledgement emails on application (they hadn’t previously) and regret emails were also being sent to all unsuccessful candidates – a first – but there was a problem.

I’ll illustrate with an example:

“Dear candidate,

We have received your application successfully and you should expect to hear back from us regarding the outcome of your application within 2 weeks.

Regards,
The Recruitment Team”

Yes, they had invested time and money and implemented great technology but overlooked a fundamental aspect of the process – personalised, personable communication which engaged their candidates! You cannot underestimate the importance of communication and its style at every stage of the recruitment process.

Below, I’ve included 4 simple steps to delivering clear and engaging communications for all your candidates / customers!

1. Communicate with candidates as you would your most valued customer

Earlier this year, Jobtrain Solutions ran a survey with 10,500 candidates that had applied for roles with our customers via our applicant tracking system and the results were fascinating (do drop us a line if you’d like a copy of the survey).

• 18% of candidates said that they would be more likely to buy products and services from a company following a positive experience of the recruitment process.
• 73% would tell friends and family about a positive recruitment experience.

Clearly from these results, good news can travel far and fast. Use your recruitment process and your communications with candidates to build your brand, convey your culture and ensure every candidate feels valued.

2. Personalise all communication

• Emails should be addressed to candidates in the ‘to’ field, not the ‘BCC’
• Use merged fields within your candidate management system to make sure that even if you are using standard templates, these are personalised with the candidate’s first name, the job title they’ve applied for, the name of the recruiting manager etc.
• Ensure emails are signed off from a person, with an email signature.

3. Send updates in the meantime

Delays happen, it can’t be helped and with the right technology and tools it takes no time at all to keep everyone updated when timescales do slip. It will be appreciated, they’ll feel valued and it will keep their interest in the role and your company ignited.

4. Keep it simple, straightforward but above all be personable

Your communications don’t have to be elaborate to be effective. In fact, straight forward and to the point emails will be appreciated by most and more likely read and understood.

Just ensure the style reflects the sentiment and personality you want to convey and represents something that would leave you feeling like a valued customer, not just another applicant.