In the highly competitive job market, candidate engagement has become essential to the recruitment process. It is building a relationship with a job candidate to attract, retain and convert them into employees.
It involves creating a positive candidate experience and keeping them engaged throughout the recruitment process. Candidate engagement helps to identify the right talent for the organization and to ensure that the candidate has a positive experience, whether or not they are selected for the position.
What is Candidate Engagement?
Candidate engagement refers to building and nurturing relationships with potential candidates throughout the hiring process. It involves creating a candidate experience that is engaging, informative, and transparent, to attract, retain, and ultimately hire top talent.
Effective candidate engagement strategies involve consistent communication, timely feedback, and a personalized approach considering the candidate’s interests, skills, and experience.
How to Enhance Candidate Engagement
Keeping candidates engaged may not be as hard as one would imagine. There are a few things or touchpoints to keep in mind to have a positive candidate engagement experience:
#1 Transparency
You must be clear about each step from the start of the recruitment process. Candidates appreciate teams that inform them about how recruitment in their organization works.
Sending updates about the position they have applied for instills a sense of trust. If the candidate has not been selected, tell them the reason and ensure that you may contact them if there are any jobs in the future.
#2 Communicate
One of the most critical touch points to remember is to communicate. Transparency and communication go hand-in-hand. Communication is a two-way street. If you do not talk to the candidate, you will not know what they think about the company, and you may lose a chance to improve your recruitment process.
If the candidate has been chosen for a position, tell them what worked in their favor. Similarly, if they have not been chosen, explaining what also worked against them is necessary.
#3 Follow-up
Once an applicant sends a resume and you choose to start the interview process, you must follow up immediately. Start by acknowledging the receipt of the resume.
Inform them they have been chosen for the interview. Once the interview is done, tell them what comes next. If they have been selected for the position, explain the process, including onboarding.
#4 Keep their interests high
One way to keep the candidate interested and engaged is to keep them in the loop with what is happening in the company. Send them monthly newsletters that focus on events within the company, any changes made in terms of rules or job profiles, if any new positions have been created, etc.
#5 Social Media
If your company has a social media account, you can use it to keep the candidate engaged. Use it to inform them about new openings, events, rewards, recognition, etc.
Read – How to keep candidates warm after an offer
Why engage with a Candidate?
Candidate engagement has several benefits for companies that can improve their recruitment process and employee experience. Here are some of the reasons why engaging with candidates is essential:
#1 Attract Top Talent
Engaging with candidates can help companies attract top talent by building a positive employer brand. When candidates have a positive experience during the recruitment process, they are more likely to recommend the company to their friends and family, which can lead to more qualified applicants.
#2 Reduce Time-to-Hire
Engaging with candidates can also help reduce the time-to-hire by informing them about their job application progress. When candidates are aware of the next steps in the recruitment process, they are less likely to drop out, and the recruitment process becomes more efficient.
#3 Improve Employee Retention
Engaging with candidates can also improve employee retention by building a relationship that goes beyond the recruitment process. When candidates feel that the company values them and their contributions, they are likelier to stay with the company and become loyal employees.
Software that can help you in Candidate Engagement
One software that can help in candidate engagement is Hyreo.
Hyreo is an AI-powered candidate engagement platform that uses chatbots, email campaigns, and text messages to engage with candidates.
One of the critical features of Hyreo is its automated outreach. The platform’s chatbots can engage with candidates automatically, ensuring they receive timely updates and feedback. The chatbots can also answer common questions that candidates may have, such as job requirements, compensation, and benefits.
Another critical feature of Hyreo is its personalized communication. The platform can personalize communication with candidates, providing them with relevant information and updates.
For example, Hyreo can send targeted email campaigns to candidates based on their skills and experience, ensuring they receive the relevant information for their job search.
Hyreo also offers candidate journey tracking.
Recruiters can track the candidate’s journey, ensuring that candidates receive a positive experience throughout the recruitment process. The platform can also provide recruiters with real-time analytics and insights, enabling them to make data-driven decisions about their recruitment process.
Hyreo integrates with popular Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS), making it easy to use for recruiters. The platform is also customizable, allowing recruiters to tailor the messaging and communication to their brand and recruitment process.
Overall, Hyreo can help recruiters improve candidate engagement, enhance the candidate experience, and increase the efficiency of the recruitment process. The platform’s automation and personalization features can help recruiters save time and resources while providing a positive candidate experience.
Check – Post Offer Candidate Engagement Platform
How to Measure Candidate Engagement?
Measuring candidate engagement is critical to understanding the effectiveness of your recruitment process. Here are a few ways to measure candidate engagement:
#1 Application completion rate
Measuring the percentage of candidates who complete the application process can help identify potential roadblocks in the recruitment process.
#2 Response rates
Measuring the response rate of candidates to emails, text messages, and chatbot conversations can help identify the effectiveness of your engagement efforts.
#3 Time to hire
Measuring the time it takes to hire a candidate can help identify potential roadblocks in the recruitment process and areas for improvement.
#4 Candidate Drop off
This is the percentage of candidates who have applied for a job but dropped off or left the application process before completion. This metric gives you a clear picture of why a candidate may have left the application process and help you adjust or change the recruitment process.
#5 Candidate Net Promoter Score
Though every organization may feel that its recruitment process is seamless and sound, you can only know how a candidate feels about it by measuring the candidate’s net promoter score. Candidate NPS helps understand and track what a candidate thinks of a company’s brand, their recruitment process, and how they perceive the company.
Wrap Up
Candidate engagement is critical to attracting and retaining top talent. Engaging with candidates can help build trust, improve the candidate experience, and enhance employer branding.
Software like Hyreo can help automate candidate engagement, ensuring that candidates receive timely updates and personalized communication.
Measuring candidate engagement is critical to understanding your recruitment process’s effectiveness and identifying improvement areas.
FAQs on Candidate Engagement
What is engagement in the recruitment process?
Engagement in the recruitment process refers to building and maintaining a positive relationship between the employer and the job candidate throughout the recruitment process. Regular communication, personalized interaction, and timely updates ensure a positive candidate experience.
Engagement in recruitment is crucial to attracting top talent, reducing time-to-hire, and improving employee retention.
How can I improve my candidate engagement?
Improving candidate engagement is critical to creating a positive candidate experience and attracting top talent to your company. Here are some strategies you can implement to enhance candidate engagement:
Be Responsive: Respond to candidate inquiries and messages promptly, and keep them informed about the status of their application.
Show Genuine Interest: Show the candidate that you are genuinely interested in their application and that they are more than just a number to you.
Provide a Positive Candidate Experience: Ensure your recruitment process is streamlined, transparent, and informative. Ensure that candidates feel valued and respected throughout the process.
What are the top 3 attributes a candidate should have to recruit successfully?
The top 3 attributes a candidate should have to be successful in recruiting are:
Relevant Skills and Experience: Candidates should possess the necessary skills and experience to perform the job they are applying for. This is the most fundamental requirement for any job and is critical to ensuring the candidate can meet the role’s demands.
Cultural Fit: Candidates should align with the company’s culture and values. A good cultural fit candidate is more likely to thrive in the company’s environment and be a positive addition to the team.
Motivation and Enthusiasm: Candidates who are motivated and enthusiastic about the role and the company are likelier to perform well and be engaged in their work. They will be more committed to the company’s success and more likely to stay with the company for the long term.
These three attributes are crucial to finding candidates who have the skills and experience necessary to succeed and have the right mindset, values, and motivation to fit in with the company culture and thrive in the role.
What is the difference between candidate experience and candidate engagement?
Candidate experience and candidate engagement are related concepts in the recruitment process, but they have different meanings and goals.
Candidate experience refers to a job candidate’s overall experience during the recruitment process. It encompasses a candidate’s entire journey, from initial contact with the company to the final decision about whether to accept a job offer.
The goal of providing a positive candidate experience is to make the recruitment process as smooth and positive as possible, regardless of the outcome of the application.
Candidate engagement, on the other hand, refers to the ongoing communication and interaction between the company and the candidate throughout the recruitment process.
The goal of candidate engagement is to keep the candidate informed, engaged, and interested in the position and the company. Regular communication, personalized interaction, and timely updates ensure a positive candidate experience.
What is a candidate engagement specialist?
A candidate engagement specialist specializes in engaging and communicating with job candidates throughout recruitment.
Their primary responsibility is to build and maintain a positive relationship with candidates by providing timely, informative, and personalized communication.
The candidate engagement specialist is typically responsible for creating and implementing communication strategies that keep candidates informed about the status of their applications, provide updates on the hiring process, and answer any questions or concerns they may have.
They may also be responsible for managing candidate feedback and using it to improve the recruitment process and the candidate experience.
What is one unique way a recruiter can increase candidate engagement?
One unique way a recruiter can increase candidate engagement is by hosting virtual events that allow candidates to interact with the company and its employees. This could include virtual job fairs, virtual open houses, or webinars featuring company leaders or subject matter experts.
By hosting virtual events, recruiters can provide candidates with an inside look at the company culture, values, and work environment. This can help candidates feel more connected to the company and engaged in recruitment.
It also allows candidates to ask questions, get to know current employees, and better understand what it would be like to work for the company.
