5 Innovations in Candidate Engagement
In a tight labor market, it's essential to design recruitment workflows around candidates themselves. The most successful recruiters know how to stand out and attract qualified candidates — on their terms. This means promoting open lines of communication and taking a modern, mobile-friendly approach to candidate engagement.
Special thanks to ADP Marketplace partner, JazzHR, for this article.
In a tight labor market, it's essential to design recruitment workflows around candidates themselves. The most successful recruiters know how to stand out and attract qualified candidates — on their terms. This means promoting open lines of communication and taking a modern, mobile-friendly approach to candidate engagement.
In a new e-book, Five Innovations in Candidate Engagement, we discuss strategies and technologies to embrace when hiring new workers. The following five recruitment approaches can improve recruiting KPIs along with employee satisfaction and retention rates:
1. Texting
Receiving and responding to quick texts is a discrete and efficient way to navigate the job search. These factors are especially important to job seekers balancing other demands at work and at home.
In today's fast-paced, mobile-driven culture, text notifications are welcome. They require less time and attention than a phone call or a more formal email. In fact, over one-third of candidates view SMS recruiting tactics favorably.
In a recent study conducted by Mobile Health News, SMS-based recruiting outreach saw an 83% response rate, compared to 45-60% response rates via email. For recruiters, application-to-person (A2P) messaging systems streamline the process.
2. Video Interviews
Like text messages, when it comes to recruitment, video chats are efficient and easy to schedule. Two-way video conversations — rather than pre-recorded, one-sided video interviews — are the most popular with applicants. By establishing a virtual face-to-face connection, they feel much more personal than phone screenings.
Video interviews are also more expedient for applicants and interviewers. Conversations can begin as soon as the cameras turn on; no time is lost to the formalities associated with in-person appointments.
The increasing popularity of video-based interviews follows the rise of telecommuting. As 70% of white-collar professionals work remotely at least once a week, video meetings allow all decision-makers to be part of the process even if they're away from the office.
3. Same-day Feedback
Despite the ease of online applications and text- and video-based recruiting conversations — or perhaps because of the efficiency these tools enable — many job seekers find the hiring process to be painfully slow.
Delayed recruiter response times aggravate this issue. More than half of job seekers want the process to conclude within a month or less. In fact, 40% lose interest after a week with no response. Responsive recruiters will not only stand out from the crowd, but they'll also foster a more positive candidate experience.
4. Inclusive Language
To achieve success in recruiting from a diverse and dynamic talent pool, HR professionals must communicate inclusive values. According to a recent article from Forbes, subjective language may turn away top talent if applicants are led to believe they don't belong. Words and phrases that make assumptions about demographic qualities drive away candidates who don't possess them.
To welcome and encourage all applications, rework job descriptions with objective, gender-neutral language instead.
5. Integrated Solutions
To thrive in the current candidate-driven market, HR teams can quickly optimize their recruitment efforts with integrated recruiting software solutions. A robust applicant tracking system like JazzHR can provide HRIS integration, payroll management and onboarding capabilities, among other customizable features. The right tools will boost recruitment productivity while ensuring a streamlined candidate experience for applicants.
Takeaway
An innovative approach to candidate engagement is a multifaceted one. Here's what recruiters can do to embrace these technologies and communicate the right values:
- Utilize SMS messaging and video chats to reach busy applicants.
- Welcome and respect top talent with prompt responses and inclusive language.
- Streamline recruiting workflows with an all-in-one applicant tracking system (ATS).
Learn more about JazzHR integrated with ADP® on ADP Marketplace and download the latest ebook, Five Innovations in Candidate Engagement.
