Candidates expect more than the overused cookie cutter interaction from recruiters that are personalised and relevant to them, and if you get it right, you can lead the way with candidate engagement.
Here are the key things you need to know – and there’s a handy checklist to download and evaluate your current capability.
Matching requirements
Having a handle on job seekers preferences is a great way to engage with talent and get results. Think about your email inbox and how crowded it is; the constant fighting to catch your attention and get a response. Give some thought to how you capture candidate preferences and how you interact with candidates, in a way that will cut through the clutter. Timing of communication is key too, so don’t bombard and be relevant.
In capturing the right candidate information you can act intelligently with job alerts, matching candidates to positions based on their profile and preferences – and build your talent pipelines to match talent to vacancies.
FAQ’s
To further improve candidate engagement pre-application, can you answer general questions from candidates on your careers website or even with a chatbot? Are you using your careers site to build engagement and communicate employee stories and company values? If not, you may be missing out on building engagement.
By 2020, Gartner predicts the average person will have more conversations with chatbots than with their spouse!
Where does candidate engagement start?
Candidate engagement begins during talent attraction and candidate sourcing. Bringing awareness of your company brand and values will make individuals feel more connected to you and more receptive to messages and opportunities.
The 2018 Talent Board EMEA Candidates Experience Research Report shares some key highlights of their research:
Company values are still the most important marketing content for 47 percent of candidates, (although down 11.3 percent from 2017)
A third of candidates said they wanted even more information about why employees want to work at an employer.
Walk a mile in a candidates’ shoes
Here are some examples of what you can do to improve candidate engagement:
Review how easy is it to register with you for relevant news and job opportunities. Have an online dedicated area for candidates to find, apply and start their career with you. Social profile registration is a must too.
Be the brand that candidates want to work with. Engage with followers across social channels, personalise responses with follow up emails. Be unified across candidate engagement and whatever the outcome, candidates should feel valued.
Don’t make candidates jump through hoops to engage with you. Make them the centre of your recruitment strategy. Check your current candidate engagement, candidate assessment and onboarding capability in this handy free checklist.
