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How to engage candidates with the right message at the right time

April 27, 2021
 
iCIMS Staff
4 min read

“This year was a year like no other…the level of empathic communication this year was higher than ever, and more employers ensured consistent communication and feedback loops with both external and internal candidates,” according to the 2020 North American Candidate Experience Research Report.

Faced with dramatic shifts in the workplace, now is the time to give recruiters the freedom to add more touchpoints and share the unique, authentic experiences of your workplace.

Text. Email. Voicemail. IM. The list goes on. We’re all inundated with messages. You don’t want to be just another message in a candidate’s inbox.

Once you’ve attracted them to your job listings, you need ways to connect and keep them interested. Engaging with candidates requires the right message at the right time.

Here’s how to engage with candidates:

Use the communication channels available

Make the job search experience more valuable by communicating with candidates via the channels they’re already using. Whether it’s quick updates using text messaging apps, postings via social media, recruiting chatbots, or recruitment chat to answer questions, communicate your message across channels to ensure you create connections with as many candidates as possible.

Make it easy for talent to connect with you

Expand your talent pool by posting jobs on the most relevant sites and job boards for your industry. Text recruiting software, career sites, virtual career fairs, and text-to-apply options are just a few of the ways that talent can now connect with your organization.

Even though we’re living in a digital world, don’t forget about foot traffic. Use billboards and window clings to advertise openings. With a simple sign such as, “Looking for a job? Text ‘APPLY’ to 97211,” you might just turn a customer into a candidate.

Customize your messages

A significant amount of the communication that candidates receive from your organization will be via automated tools. With help from candidate relationship management software, these automated messages can enhance the candidate experience.

During the hiring process, a quick, personalized touchpoint demonstrates that you’re thinking of them as an individual. You can use automation to help ensure these touchpoints happen. A simple message such as, “We haven’t forgotten about you.  We should have an update for you soon. In the meantime, we hope all is well,” demonstrates that you value the candidate’s experience.

Analyze what is and isn’t working

As you communicate and engage with candidates, track what works and what doesn’t. Find a recruiting analytics system that allows you to analyze data such as open rates, social clicks, job posting responses, and completed applications. These data points can highlight issues and inform any changes you need to make in your candidate engagement strategies.

For example, the data may indicate many mobile users drop off before they apply. That’s a clear sign that something isn’t working. Maybe candidates fear a cumbersome application process on their mobile devices. The solution? Update to a mobile-friendly process. If it’s already optimized for mobile users, let candidates know. Doing so can increase the number of applications you get by 11.6%.

Reap the positive results

Faced with high application drop-off rates and a 200% turnover rate, RPM Pizza knew they needed to improve candidate engagement if they wanted to staff their 180 stores. They looked to their messaging. RPM Pizza, Domino’s largest franchisee, started using text messages and an AI-powered chatbot to connect with job seekers to better communicate with candidates. Thanks to the new approach, RPM experienced a 66% increase in applicant volume and a 95% response rate when texting with candidates. This helped them reduce their time to hire by 80%.

As the world of work changes rapidly, the value of communicating in a way that creates a sense of connection remains vital to your hiring success. Powered by the right recruitment marketing software, your recruiters can adapt to the changes and connect and engage with the candidates you need to fill your pipeline.

Download our Guide to engaging talent to learn how you can use these four simple strategies to engage candidates.

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