How to Keep Candidates Engaged During the Recruiting Process
The recruiting process is often lengthy and arduous. You may have found many qualified candidates that it becomes hard to make a decision. During the hiring process, your candidates have other contingencies tugging them in a variety of directions.
You’ll want to maintain candidate’s interest in the position they applied for, so it’s important to know how to keep them engaged. Knowing how to best to do this can be a challenge, which is why we want to discuss the recruiting process and how to keep the best talent active and engaged through the entire process. Our top engagement methods are:
- Stay in Touch and Respond Swiftly
- Market Your Company and the Position
- Simplify and Streamline the Hiring Process
- Take the Time to Craft Personalized Responses
Stay in Touch and Respond Swiftly
One of the most important things you can do is communicate. Communication is an easy way to keep your potential candidates engaged. Timely, friendly correspondence is the key to any relationship. That extends to keeping candidates warm through the entire hiring process.
Place candidate communications as a top priority. Make sure you reply to emails as soon as possible and return phone calls in a prompt manner. When you show candidates that you care about their questions and concerns, you’ll instill a sense of confidence in your company and the position. This will prove invaluable once they start working with you.
Market Your Company and the Position
Keep your company, and the position, in the spotlight. During the recruiting process, you might place targeted ads on social media which top recruits are likely to see. You might also blog about issues related to the position on LinkedIn, where active candidates are likely to see it.
If you want to know how to keep candidates engaged, one way is to make your company and position highly visible. It’s also beneficial to place your company’s best foot forward on social media. Highlight achievements, company culture, and any differentiating factors!
Simplify and Streamline the Hiring Process
A multi-tiered hiring process may seem like the best way to sift through a bevy of qualified candidates, but it’s also a way to watch your candidates lose interest. While you are arranging their third interview, candidates might be called away by another company or their current employer might offer them a promotion.
One of the greatest recruiting ideas is to simplify and streamline your hiring process. You might also keep recruits engaged with interview questions that are either personalized based off their resume or focused more on who they are as a person versus their skill set. Interview questions are a great place to showcase your company and keep candidates interested.
When streamlining the process, make sure time between interviews is not too lengthy nor too quick. Find the perfect median to show your company is not desperate for new hires. Also, be aware that too many interviews can cause candidate burn out. Simplifying and streamlining is all about finding that perfect balance.
Take the Time to Craft Personalized Responses
The hiring process involves so many routine elements, making it easy to forget how to be personal. It’s advisable to maintain a folder of template letters to send out to candidates. However, one one of the best strategies to keep candidates warm is crafting personalized responses and other correspondence.
You can still use your pre-written messages, but be sure to personalize them with individualized remarks in the opening and sign-off. You want candidates to know they are considered as individuals and that you remember who they are throughout the hiring process.
Learn How Rush Recruiting and HR Can Help
If you are ready to make the changes necessary to engage candidate, Rush Recruiting and HR are here to help. Our experienced and professional staff can also you find and maintain the best candidates that will meet your company’s unique needs.
Let us do the research and land the talent you need to reach the next level. Contact us today or visit our website to learn about the services we offer.
