One of the main challenges recruiters face today is finding quality candidates despite the perceived talent shortage for some industries. Add on a candidate-driven market to the mix, and the pressure rises even more. But there’s something you can do today to set yourself apart and build a positive recruitment brand reputation in the long haul — tapping on the underrated powers of effective communication to win over your candidates.
The relationship of a positive candidate experience and communication begins from the point of application until the day the offer is made. That’s a lengthy timeframe involving dealing with diverse candidates — all with different needs and expectations — to make a lasting impression.
Communication is a core part of any recruitment process, but it often gets overlooked. Recruiter responsiveness is placed at the back burner, and ghosting rises to become a problem worthy enough of being dubbed a name.
There’s been a rise of voluntary turnovers from candidates who are becoming more and more selective about the jobs they choose. Today, when we think of a candidate, we must also imagine someone having three other offers from recruitment firms and companies. Making them feel valued and paid attention to will help you edge off your competition. Effective communication can be your secret sauce to landing that quality hire.
The Value of Effective Communication: A Glowing Recruitment Brand Reputation
A LinkedIn report indicated that the number one issue for candidates when searching for a potential job is the lack of information about the position and organization they will work for. Think about that. It’s got poor communication written all over it.
But, when you think about it, communication is one of the cheapest things to fix in any recruitment strategy. It doesn’t cost much to stay in touch and give timely updates to your candidates. Even better, it costs nothing to write accurate job descriptions or provide them with relevant information that can help your candidates make more informed decisions regarding their applications.
Putting in the time to master the art of effective communication is an investment worth making. A positive candidate experience that stemmed from effective communication can lead to positive online reviews that will inevitably boost your recruitment brand. If there’s one thing we know, being an employer of choice will work wonders in attracting the best candidates in the market, especially now that 75% of candidates will consider your recruitment brand and your client’s employer brand before applying.
How you treat them during the recruitment process will translate to the effectiveness of your recruitment strategy. The more you provide stellar candidate experience, the more candidates will naturally consider you as their recruiter of choice.
What Good Communication Practices Can Do for Your Recruitment Process
Whether it’s through written or digital channels, communication will impact your recruitment strategy one way or another. Here are three ways effective communication can benefit your recruitment process.
1. It speeds up your time to hire without compromising quality.
One major problem of staffing firms is the fact that they receive hundreds of applications every week but still experience talent shortages. If this is a problem for you, consider revisiting the quality of your written communication (i.e. your job description and role promotions).
This is where the practice of transparency and authenticity plays a role in how you craft your communication: an accurately drafted job description can help candidates filter themselves out based on your client’s requirements and company culture.
Did you know that the quit rate in the United States reached a record high of 4 million in the first quarter of 2021? This shows that professionals have decided to become more prudent in their job selection. The steadily increasing voluntary turnovers are a testament to the fact that recruiters aren’t the only ones doing “initial screenings.” The labor force is empowered to do that now, too.
Although it can seem alarming, in retrospect, this is good for your recruitment process because it means that if you’re advertising job requirements truthfully, candidates are smart enough to filter themselves out if they don’t deem themselves fit or apply if they really qualify.
Assuming you execute your communication accurately and clearly, this can yield a two-way benefit that can cut your time to hire by half and increase your quality of hire as a result of a positive brand.
2. It helps attract top talent and keep them engaged.
With winning candidate reviews come a stronger recruitment brand reputation. This is what candidates look for and where they will naturally be drawn to. Reports show that a glowing recruitment brand can rake in 50% more quality applicants—but this will only happen if they feel that your staffing firm comprises recruiters who are readily available and mindful of good communication with their candidate pool.
Here are some things you can do to maintain open communication with your candidates:
- Send confirmation emails to acknowledge every submitted application. This can be tedious if done manually, so automation is the key to ensuring no one feels ignored.
- Provide a clear roadmap of their candidate’s journey. The last thing you want is for them to feel lost in their application status. Making it a point to go the extra mile in providing timely updates and guidance will not go unnoticed.
- Personalize your communication. Although this may sound countercultural, a human touch can contribute to effective communication. Sending a “thank you” email or delivering bad news by calling instead of an impersonal text can leave a positive impression even if your candidate doesn’t get hired.
3. It aligns your recruitment process with candidate expectations.
You’ve probably heard this before: effective communication involves listening.
It’s no different in recruitment. In fact, one of the best-kept secrets of the staffing industry is the power of candidate feedback. Having insight into your candidates’ thoughts will gleam important light into what needs to be done to optimize your recruitment process.
Imagine having the insight to spot mistakes before they escalate. Then, you can calibrate in real-time so you can ensure the best candidate experience for every applicant. Listening will not just help you meet expectations—it puts you in the position to go beyond it and leave a compelling impression.
Once you have winning candidate reviews, you cement yourself as a great recruitment firm to partner with.
Improve Your Recruitment Process through Feedback Management
Great Recruiters understands the value of equipping your team with the insights they need to make data-driven decisions to improve recruiter responsiveness. With our experience management platform, you never have to rely on guesswork in identifying which communication practices are working or not.
As an online reputation management software, Great Recruiters can automatically capture feedback and generate in-depth reports so your team can view their performance with just a click of a button. Best of all, you can take positive reviews and convert them into testimonials so you can communicate your winning placements in your recruitment marketing strategies to boost your reputation.
Recent Comments