READ TIME – 7 MINUTES
Modern recruitment is a varied and dynamic environment.
The needs of applicants vary drastically and it is highly unlikely that two candidates will have the same needs.
In a market where the power shift has altered in favour of the candidate, meeting their needs is now more important than ever. Candidates now have the freedom to be more selective with their roles.
Improving your communication can increase your chances of being selected as the best employer by potential applicants.
Did you know that 84% of applicants expect some type of response in the early stages of the hiring process? Or that 72% of applicants publically share their application experience amongst their friends, family and even online.
Candidates expect timely and consistent communication in recruitment. If you do not provide this, they. may speak of you negatively to those around them. This can damage your company image and affect your status as an employer.
With candidate demand increasing, communication in recruitment is more important than ever.
Here are a few useful tips on how you can increase your odds of a successful hire with some improved communication during the hiring process
Establish Key Touchpoints
Pre-Application
The candidate’s experience begins before they even apply.
The very first things that potential candidates are going to see on sites such as Indeed are your job advert and company description.
It is important that as a business you put your best face forward. Show off your successes and the benefits that your company offers. If you can show a candidate that you’re the right business for them before you’ve even spoken a word, then you’re on the right track to success.
Check out our vacancies page for examples of jobs that demonstrate employee recruitment communications.
Mid Application
This is the stage where, arguably, communication in recruitment is most important. This is where you will first introduce yourself to the candidate – Who do you work for, what is your role and what have the business decided to do?
Regardless of whether you are progressing or rejecting a candidate, it’s important to do it politely with kindness and reason.
A solid no is better than an ambiguous maybe or no response at all.
It is also important to give positive feedback when rejecting an applicant. If you’re struggling with providing unsuccessful candidates with feedback, this article provides some useful tips and tricks.
Once the initial communication in recruitment has happened, you must keep in touch often with any successful candidates. Book catch-up appointments with them ahead of their interview so they know when you’ll be in touch.
This will help candidates remember you.
Knowing that they have a call scheduled with you will help them think more positively about your business.
Post Application
All candidates must be contacted shortly after their final stage interview. The first point of contact should be to gain some initial thoughts from them by asking questions such as: how did they find the interview, does the opportunity appeal to them and if would they still take the job if they were offered it.
This point of contact could help you make the correct final decision. If you discover that one candidate is slightly hesitant and one is brimming with excitement, you may have an easier choice in hiring the right candidate – a big advantage of communication in recruitment.
Once you have offered the role to your chosen candidate, you must keep them warm and happy.
Nothing with communication in recruitment is 100% guaranteed. There is a chance that your candidate may drop out even if they’ve accepted the job. An occasional call from a friendly face will help to keep them happy and eager to join you.
Treat Candidates Like People, Not Numbers
As a recruiter, you will have a duty to report your performance statistics to those above you. This may be a manager or a client you are working for. You would always approach clients/managers with respect, politeness and eagerness.
It is important to treat your candidates with this same respect.
As a recruiter, you will likely encounter hundreds of candidates with various levels of experience and quality. It is easy to get frustrated, deflated or even bored when filtering through so many candidates. Because of this, your attitude towards them may drop. The importance of recruitment standards cannot be dropped just because of how you day has panned out at work.
These candidates are people too.
Whilst you may get through dozens of applicants, your candidates may not be so lucky. You may be the only work-related voice that they hear all day, so it’s your responsibility as the employee recruitment communications expert to give them the time they deserve.
They must hear your respect and enthusiasm coming through.
Whilst each candidate may eventually turn into a number on a spreadsheet, it is so important that you treat them like a human during the communication in recruitment process
Be Available and Open
Whilst this may seem obvious, it can’t be overstated how important availability is as a recruiter. If you have tried to contact a candidate and left a voicemail, it is more than likely that they will try to call you back at some point.
You must be ready to answer that call.
This doesn’t mean that you should sit staring at the phone all day. Not only would that be a waste of your time, but it would also drastically decrease your efficiency.
You likely have a CRM system that you use to manage your workload. Leave a note on the candidate’s profile alerting your colleagues to the fact that you have left a voicemail. This way, your colleagues can handle the client professionally and promptly before transferring them back to you.
As essential as communication with candidates is, the importance of employee recruitment communications can’t be understated.
Watch Your Language
No not just like that!
Like with any role, certain levels of professionalism are expected when it comes to communication during the hiring process.
You must use the correct language, terminology and tone in each contact that you make. Using the appropriate language will help you build a strong and lasting relationship with a candidate.
You are representing a business that has standards. It is important that you uphold these standards through your language, tone and delivery. You are the face (or voice) of the company!
Whilst specific language and terminology will vary depending on the industry you work in, we have some general tips and tricks that will help emphasise the importance of recruitment communication every time!
- Get straight to the point
- Be friendly yet professional
- Adjust your script depending on the candidate’s previous experience/understanding of the role – communication in recruitment isn’t a one size fits all approach.
- Avoid getting too technical in the first stage interview
So Why Is Communication During The Hiring Process So Important?
Recruitment takes time, effort and manpower. Depending on the rate at which your company is growing, you may need to hire new talent on a regular basis. You could be sat in interviews for days on end.
A poor use of your time when a team of experts could do it for you. 👋🏻
Something else that a lot of management teams don’t realise is that there are certain tools that can aid your communication during the hiring process. Recruitment agencies purchase and develop specific tools that help them narrow down candidate pools quickly to help save time in their recruitment process.
You may not be aware of the importance of employee recruitment communications tools if you do all of your hiring internally. As such, you may be making your recruitment process WAY more difficult than it needs to be.
If you’re struggling with communication in recruitment and need help onboarding candidates, here’s a related blog that highlights 6 Ways to Attract & Retain GREAT Candidates.
Alternatively, let an expert recruitment agency help you out! *cough cough* AvA-V.
We have succsessfully helped clients across the globe find their dream candidate! Our team work with businesses in various sectors and our expert recruiters are trained to spot talent in any industry.
The importance of recruitment communication cannot be understated!
We can take manage your recruitment process for you, so get in touch and see the results for yourself.
