Short on time? Read this: To prevent losing top talent before the first job interview, adopt these four strategies: Ensure adequate resources for engaging candidate interactions, utilize automation for streamlined communication, employ digital messaging templates for consistent and prompt responses, and adhere to a 24-hour follow-up rule. These targeted approaches will not only preserve your valuable candidate pool but also reinforce your reputation as a proactive and candidate-centric employer.
The Connection Between Candidate Care and Business
In the intricate dance of talent acquisition, every step—from the first impression to the final offer—can decisively shape a candidate's decision to join an organization. The iCIMS 2023 Talent Experience Report unveiled a striking insight: a staggering 56% of candidates are less likely to purchase from a brand following a negative experience during the application or interview process. Moreover, an overwhelming 80% indicated that transparent and regular updates throughout the application journey would not just enhance their experience but also elevate their perception of the employer. These findings underscore the critical influence of candidate care on your company's reputation and success, framing the strategies we discuss in this article not just as best practices, but as essential pillars for any forward-thinking talent acquisition process.
In the dynamic world of talent acquisition, the challenge of creating positive experiences for candidates is one that recruiters, hiring managers, and HR professionals continually navigate. At Talent Growth Partners, we understand that the reputation of talent acquisition professionals is crucial in attracting top talent. Our approach is rooted in the belief that the key to success lies in meticulous candidate care and consistent follow-up throughout the job search process.
The Speed-Quality Trade-off in Recruitment
Different recruitment models offer various approaches to talent acquisition. For instance, third-party contingent recruitment models often prioritize speed, which can sometimes impact the depth of candidate vetting and relationship building. Gaylen (n.d.) notes, “In these situations, contingency searches become a race to source and present candidates, where speed trumps quality.” In our experience, when the focus shifts predominantly to speed, the nurturing of candidate relationships and follow-up can be compromised.
The Overwhelm of Volume in Job Postings
Moreover, relying solely on job postings can also present challenges. Kolmor (2023) highlights, “The average corporate job opening attracts about 250 applications.” This volume can be overwhelming and may lead to a focus on quantity over quality, making it difficult to manage and effectively engage with each candidate. Additionally, there are instances where recruiters, due to various constraints, struggle with organization and professionalism. Horn (2022) observes, “Some recruiters find it challenging to respond to hundreds of candidates for a single position, which unfortunately leads to a lack of communication.”
A Case Study: The Impact of Follow-Up
To illustrate these points further, I invite you to watch a conversation I had with Trevor Holder, a professional contact who shares his experiences in the job market, particularly emphasizing the impact of follow-up or the lack thereof.
Why Follow-Up Matters From the Start
At Talent Growth Partners, we believe that diligent candidate disposition and follow-up are key differentiators in excellent hiring practices. These elements not only enhance our professional reputation and that of our clients but also ensure a memorable and positive experience for candidates. Such attention to detail, while seemingly simple, is a vital component of the recruitment process that significantly influences your standing in the marketplace and encourages candidates to engage with you repeatedly in the future.
Candidate experience and follow-up in the front end of the job search
For Talent Growth Partners, the talent acquisition process and candidate experience is segmented into the front end (sourcing) and the back end (recruiting) processes, encompassing the entire hiring process. I specialize in sourcing, which we categorize as understanding the position requirements, handling of job postings and applicants, targeted passive candidate sourcing, and digital methods of candidate engagement. I will be covering aspects of how candidate follow-up and experience is impacted on the front end (sourcing) in the remainder of this content. If you would like to see how the art of candidate engagement should be taken to the next level post-interview, watch for more on that in an upcoming post from my colleague, Tanya!
The Pitfalls of Poor Sourcing Follow-Up
It is really easy to drop the ball when it comes to candidate engagement and follow-up in the sourcing process. Sourcing is made up of primarily digital interactions with candidates, ranging from LinkedIn messages to emails, and you may think that candidates at this part of the process don’t need appropriate follow-up. This could not be further from the truth. Candidates matter at all stages of the process, and if you want a great hiring reputation as well as a reliable network, you should take candidate sourcing seriously when it comes to follow-up and candidate experience. “The way employers treat candidates can have a big impact, and a little positivity can go a long way. In a world dominated by online interactions, enjoyable conversations are worth more than ever — in fact, this is the biggest contributor to a good interview experience (cited by 43% of respondents) (Indeed Editorial Team, 2019).” In my experience, the candidate relationship begins when I reach out to passive candidates or post a job online. Each candidate that connects, responds, or applies, deserves my attention and response.
Action Steps To Take
Following are four practices you can implement now to improve your reputation, candidate experience, and follow-up on the front-end of your talent acquisition strategy.
strategy 1: Allocate Enough Resources.
Prioritize resource allocation to ensure thorough follow-up and maintain your reputation during talent acquisition.
Since the pandemic started in 2020, the talent acquisition process has changed rapidly. Candidates are requesting more, hiring leaders are requesting more, searches are taking longer, and hiring resources are stretched thin. “Talent acquisition functions are overworked, overstretched and overwhelmed. It’s bad for the team and your bottom line. Those who ignore rising overwhelm in their hiring teams may find that by the time it’s recognized as a problem, it’s already too late, and the costly damage has already happened (Crone, 2022).”
My advice for this step is just one rule of thumb: If you don’t have enough resources to appropriately follow-up with candidates in the hiring process, then trim up your recruitment methodology until you do. Too many times we rely on casting a wide net, blasting out email campaigns, or sending texts to hundreds of candidates. If you can’t appropriately disposition or follow up with all of those candidates, then hone in your lists or methods until you are able to. Failing to do so is not fair to your reputation, your brand, or the candidates you are reaching out to.
Everyone deserves a response, even if they are not interested in the open role that you have. If your team could use some additional support in this area, so that you do have enough resources for candidate response, then Talent Growth Partners (Click to get in touch) can help. We used a honed approach to recruitment, and we ensure each candidate we connect with receives an appropriate follow-up.
strategy 2: Use Automation when Available.
Embrace cloud-based automation tools to enhance productivity and efficiency in candidate communication.
We live in an amazing cloud-based world these days, and there are endless tools to enhance our productivity. Tools are so readily available, that if you aren't using them, it is often just a conscious choice you are making to work harder and not smarter. Automation is an easy way to make yourself more efficient when responding to candidates.
To implement this, just check what tools you are currently using and see what automation features they include. If that is not an option, many third-party software programs incorporate automation into what you already use. One of my favorite tools currently available is Jobin.Cloud. They integrate with your LinkedIn account to provide you with lots of automation tools for candidate messaging.
strategy 3: Utilize Digital Messaging Templates.
Leverage digital messaging templates to streamline communication and improve response times with candidates.
This method is one of my favorites. I utilize a Google Keep note that I have an open tab for on a daily basis, and I keep my most commonly used digital messaging templates on it. This same method can be utilized within Microsoft OneNote, Evernote, or any other cloud based note taking tool. This way my candidate messaging notes are available to me anywhere and when I need them, improving my efficiency and response times.
This practice is simple:
Think through what your most common messages are to candidates
Write out those messages in a way that can be easily copied and pasted
Adjust messages based on response rates
Here are some examples of the messages that I use:
strategy 4: Execute the 24-Hour Follow-Up Method.
Commit to a 24-hour response window to respect candidates' time and foster positive connections.
The final step is ensuring that each candidate receives a response within 24 hours of their connection to you. This is something I practice daily, and usually only do so on business days. If a candidate connects with me, expresses interest in an open role that I am working on, or even declines because of a lack of interest, I believe they deserve a response within 24 hours.
Typically I set up a time of day and a routine for myself so that this part of the day is not missed. For me, that is the first thing I do when I enter the office: I clean up my email and respond to clients, candidates, and co-workers, and then I move to social media channels like LinkedIn, to respond to every candidate who is connected with me.
If you would like to see how the art of candidate engagement should be taken to the next level post-interview, read more about it in an upcoming post by my associate Tanya Bogaczyk. If you are looking for a recruitment partner who values the candidate experience, has the resources to appropriately follow up with candidates, and will work to protect your brand and reputation, please reach out!
Sources:
Crone, Hazel (2022). How overwhelmed talent acquisition teams are harmful for business. Resource Solutions. https://www.resourcesolutions.com/thought-leadership/recruitment/how-overwhelmed-talent-acquisition-teams-are-harmful-for-business.html
Indeed Editorial Team (2019). Prepare and Respect: How to Provide a Positive Candidate Experience. Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/lead/provide-positive-candidate-experience
Galyen, Johanna (n.d.).Perils of contingency-based searches given to multiple recruiters. Ensearch. https://ensearch.com/perils-of-contingency-based-searches-given-to-multiple-recruiters/
Horn, Terri. (2022). 6 reasons you're not hearing back from recruiters. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/6-reasons-youre-hearing-back-from-recruiters-terri-horn/
Kolmor, Chris (2023). How many applications does it take to get a job? Zippia.https://www.zippia.com/advice/how-many-applications-does-it-take-to-get-a-job/