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Maximizing Candidate Engagement

Proven SMS strategies for 2024

In the dynamic recruitment landscape, candidate engagement is one of the most important factors for attracting and retaining top talent. It’s the cornerstone of building a positive employer brand and fostering a great connection with potential hires.

But many companies don’t realize that it goes past the traditional hiring process, encompassing every candidate interaction with your organization. Some example interactions include:

  • Communication about the job
  • Updates on their application status
  • Insights into the company culture

Providing this communication creates a meaningful experience for job seekers and helps them get to know the job and the company before they’ve even had their first day.

Why is Candidate Engagement Important?

Candidate engagement affects not only the candidate’s experience but also your business. Highly sought-after candidates are more likely to accept positions from companies investing in them, so working on your candidate engagement is worth its while. Here are some key reasons why candidate engagement is important:

It Promotes a Positive Brand

Candidates with negative hiring experiences are 185% less likely to refer other job seekers to your company. However, when candidates feel valued and informed, they are more likely to view the organization favorably, regardless of the final hiring decision. This positive experience contributes to a strong employer brand, making candidates more likely to recommend the company to others.

It Helps Attract Top Talent

Attracting and retaining top talent is a constant challenge in a competitive job market, and engaging candidates well sets your organization apart. Candidates are more likely to accept job offers from companies that show interest in them, which is especially critical when interviewing high-demand professionals.

It Reduces Your Time-to-Fill

Quick and transparent communication about the stages of the hiring process makes sure that qualified candidates remain invested and quick to respond. This, in turn, reduces the time it takes to fill open positions.

It Creates a Talent Pipeline

Even if candidates aren’t the perfect fit for the current role, they may have valuable skills that would work for future opportunities. By maintaining these relationships, organizations can reach out when new positions become available.

It Helps You Find and Keep a Quality Hire

Actively engaging with candidates allows you to better understand their skills, motivations, and cultural fit. By ensuring candidates are aligned with the company’s values, organizations can increase the likelihood of hiring individuals who fit seamlessly into the company culture and have the right set of skills.

Additionally, hires are more likely to stick around long-term if they have a great hiring experience. 77% of new hires with high onboarding satisfaction said they could see themselves having a long career at their organization, compared to 29% with low onboarding satisfaction.

The Current State of Candidate Engagement

Technological advancements are reshaping the staffing industry, and it can be tough to keep up. Traditional candidate engagement methods need to catch up in an ever-changing industry. Here are a few issues with the current state of candidate engagement:

Lengthy Process

The traditional recruitment process is lengthy, and candidates often go weeks without hearing back from a company between interviews. During this time, applicants won’t sit around and wait. Instead, they’ll start applying for other positions and may find something they think is a better fit.

Studies show that candidates would like to get a job offer in 1 or 2 weeks after the first interview. In reality, it takes 5.5 weeks.

Additionally, when the process takes a long time, candidates will begin to wonder why the process is taking so long. Are they deciding if they still need the job filled? If this company doesn’t care about my time now, will they when I’m an employee?

According to the Talent Board, two of the top three reasons candidates around the world withdraw from the process are “My time was disrespected during the interview process” and “The recruiting process took too long.”

Poor Communication

Poor communication is another reason candidates aren’t satisfied with the candidate engagement process. If touchpoints are short and don’t give much information about the company, candidates will start to withdraw and become disinterested.

In 2023, 54% of candidates abandoned a recruitment process due to poor communication from the recruiter/employer.

Lack of Personalization

Traditional recruitment methods often follow a one-size-fits-all approach. Recruiters will send mass emails or text messages without cleaning their contact lists, which creates frustration for applicants who have to sort through job listings to see what they’re qualified for.

Limited Visibility into Culture

While the job title and responsibilities are important, it’s only half the battle. Candidates not only want to know what they’ll be doing at their new company but also if the culture is the right fit for them.

According to Talentegy, 93.5% of job seekers value the ability to find information on culture and benefits. 

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The Role of Technology in Candidate Engagement

Technology plays a pivotal role in transforming candidate engagement. Leveraging the right tools and software can streamline the recruitment process, enhance communication, and provide a personalized experience for candidates. Some of the tools revolutionizing candidate engagement include:

Digital tools automate mundane tasks and allow recruiters to focus on building meaningful connections with candidates. This tech-driven approach ensures timely communication, real-time updates, and a seamless candidate experience.

Text recruiting stands out as a rapid and straightforward method of establishing contact with candidates. The widespread use of mobile devices across all age groups makes them a universally accessible and effective tool. Below are some strategies to maximize the potential of text recruiting.

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5 Mass Texting Candidate Engagement Strategies 

Leveraging the right text recruiting software can streamline your recruitment process, enhance communication, and provide a personalized experience for candidates. Savvy recruiters are relying on mass texting for numerous phases of the recruitment process. Here’s how to improve candidate engagement with SMS:

1. Share Timely Updates and Notifications

Whether acknowledging the receipt of an application, notifying about interview schedules, or communicating important milestones, text messages offer a direct and immediate channel for updates of all kinds.

2. Personalize Your Communication

Many mass texting services have features that make personalization incredibly simple. Recruiters can simply upload their contacts with custom fields, such as first name, last name, interview time, etc., and the system will automatically do the rest when prompted.

By addressing candidates by their names and tailoring messages based on their specific stages in the recruitment process, recruiters can create a more individualized and engaging experience for each candidate.

3. Coordinate Schedules Efficiently

Coordinating interviews and assessments can be a logistical challenge, especially when dealing with numerous candidates. Mass texting simplifies this process by allowing recruiters to efficiently communicate interview details, confirmations, and any necessary instructions in a concise and timely manner. This streamlines logistics and enhances the candidate's perception of the organization's professionalism and efficiency.

4. Share Company Insights

Recruiters can use mass texting to initiate candidate engagement campaigns, keeping potential hires interested and involved throughout the recruitment journey. Whether it's sharing insights about company culture, highlighting employee testimonials, or providing glimpses into the workplace environment, these campaigns contribute to building a strong employer brand and creating a positive impression on candidates.

5. Gather Feedback and Surveys

After various stages of the recruitment process, mass texting allows recruiters to gather feedback from candidates efficiently. This can include their thoughts on the application process, interview experience, and overall impressions of the organization.

Candidates who were invited to provide feedback after the interview were 65% more likely to refer others. This means that through this process, recruiters gain valuable insights for process improvement and increase word-of-mouth branding around their company.

More Strategies for Success

Ready to revolutionize your candidate engagement strategy? Download "The Texting Playbook for Candidate Engagement" now. This comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and strategies to leverage text messaging effectively in your recruitment process. Elevate your candidate engagement game and stay ahead in the competitive hiring landscape.