Not so long ago when there were far more candidates than jobs, the concept of candidate engagement was foreign to most businesses. But in today’s hyper-competitive labor market with unemployment under 4% (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics), and where the influence of social media continues to grow and expand, all organizations large and small must embrace candidate engagement, or risk losing the war for talent. Today, improving the candidate experience is no longer optional, or something to do when time allows, it is now an essential function, required for hiring the best talent.
Here are 5 ways you can increase candidate engagement:
#1 - Respond quickly to high potential candidates
The best candidates are snapped up quickly. A recent study showed that candidates with the best experience, skills, education, and knowledge are on the market for only 10 days (Source: ERE.net). An applicant tracking system can help ensure you engage high potential candidates quickly after they apply.
Read the blog Why Employers Use Applicant Tracking Systems
#2 - Use multi-channel communication to build relationships
Communication is an essential part of building positive candidate experiences. Two-way communication technologies like text messaging, email, voice, video, and social media are increasingly important, with more than 81% of Americans using smartphones (Source: Pew Research Center). Even one-way push notifications are helpful in helping candidates stay informed.
#3 - Let candidates see your hiring process and where they are in it
Finding the right job is stressful and the lack of transparency is a big contributing factor. A candidate management system can help you define and share your hiring processes with applicants and where they are in those processes. The benefit of this type of transparency is significant with 81% of candidates sharing positive experiences and 66% sharing negative experiences (Source: Talent Board).
#4 - Help candidates see what life would be like working in your organization
Especially in today’s competitive labor market, it’s important to remember that candidates are evaluating potential employers as much if not more than employers are evaluating candidates. A candidate management system that includes a career site can help you communicate job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, onboarding, training, potential career paths, and even the hardships and challenges employees commonly encounter.
#5 - Use automation and AI to keep things moving
The back and forth required to schedule interviews wastes time. An applicant tracking system can automate interview scheduling, reducing the time-to-hire. In addition, AI chatbots can help provide timely answers to common questions from job seekers, and with the increasing popularity of Alexa and Siri, more and more people are gaining confidence in this emerging technology.
Summary
Staying ahead of the competition today means engaging candidates in new and innovative ways, with a candidate management system that will help you to continuously build your company brand and awareness so that when you are ready to hire, you have a ready talent pool to help you minimize both your time-to-hire and your cost-per-hire.