Recruiting Communication: How to Stay Connected With Candidates At Every Stage

Irina Ialovenco
Aug 26, 2020 7:21:51 PM

Communication is the cornerstone of recruiting and human resources—that’s why it’s crucial to use different channels of communication throughout all stages of the hiring process. By using the right channels at critical junctures, recruiters will achieve higher conversions, faster hiring, more qualified candidates, an improved candidate experience, and less work for their team.

Sourcing
During the sourcing stage of hiring, fast responses are critical to attracting high-demand candidates. These top picks often are barraged with options, so showing that you are interested and responsive can give you the edge you need to engage with such candidates. Beyond responding as soon as possible, we recommend you communicate with the candidate using their preferred channel. This personalization can significantly improve their candidate experience and make them more likely to respond to your inquiry.

One way to assist in this process is to use the XOR Chrome Extension. This extension integrates seamlessly with your ATS so you can quickly and easily contact a candidate through their preferred channel of communication, such as text message, WhatsApp, or email campaigns. This process also saves time for your human resources team as it takes only one click to add the contact information for a candidate from your ATS into a scheduled campaign. Additionally, you can use the XOR Chrome Extension on sites such as Linkedin or job board sites to add candidate information directly to your campaigns and ATS.

Inbound
When potential applicants land on your web pages, it is essential to utilize their interest immediately. Rather than using a static web page and hoping they click through to your job listings, we have found great success with our live interactive chatbots. Automated chatbots provide responses 24/7, which can significantly increase the chances of an applicant staying on your page. Our chat bots can also answer FAQs and direct applicants to open job postings or provide them with virtual career fair options. Throughout the process, chatbots can capture the prospective candidate’s data to add it to your ATS.

Another way to get more inbound candidates is to enable multiple accessible channels of application. For example, you can allow for interested parties to text-in and apply to your job openings. We have implemented this successfully by letting our AI conversationally guide the applicant to job postings with options such as photos, videos, and links. Then, the chatbot collects their information and updates your ATS.

QR codes can also be used to allow for easy application. These are particularly easy to post within a place of business and are user friendly. The customer can easily scan the QR code with their mobile device, which will land them on your careers site. This code can also link to a chat so that applicants can apply and get pre-screened in a more conversational manner.

Pre-Screening and Scheduling
Pre-screening and scheduling can often be arduous for both the applicant and the human resources team. Both parties often end up playing phone tag and having to schedule multiple meetings to get to the primary screening and interviewing stage. At this stage of the hiring process, we have found automation to be a critical tool. Chatbot interaction through platforms like text messaging, Whatsapp, and live chat can provide immediate responses to the candidate when it is most convenient for them and save immense amounts of time for the hiring team.

Conversational AI allows your applicant to go through your screening process on-demand and through the channel that is the most convenient channel for them. Our chatbots even enable you to weigh the answers in your pre-screening process. This grading lets the AI score and rank your applicants so that only qualified candidates can schedule an interview. By automating this process, you can give immediate feedback to the candidate on whether or not they are moving forward, improving the candidate experience. If they qualify, they can then go through an automated scheduling process that can be integrated with your team’s calendar.

Another option is to set up a virtual career fair. These branded virtual events allow you to chat live with candidates to engage with them and answer their questions. They also enable video chat which adds a more personal touch. Candidates can join from any device, web browser, and or even through text message. This channel allows for applicants to view your company’s positions through a different lens. The company hosting can represent their different open positions through live communication and customized branding, which can feel much more human than a careers page or a job site.

Screening and Interviewing
While automation is important, we believe in the perfect balance between technology and human interaction. The best time for recruiters to step in and engage with candidates is during the screening and interviewing process. However, while phone calls are a great way to personally connect with candidates, note-taking during the call can result in a less quality conversation. To ensure engaging conversations, recruiters can use calling transcription and recording. This will allow you to stay focused on your candidate without missing out on any important information.

If you would like your interaction to be even more personal, you can set up a video conference. These types of meetings provide all of the benefits of a phone call while humanizing the conversation further. By getting face-to-face with your candidates, you can put forward a more sincere communication style that will give them a stronger connection to you and your company.

Conclusion
Every step of the hiring process is critical, and ensuring that you can communicate with your candidates in a comfortable and accessible way can make or break a hire. By weaving technology into your hiring workflow, you can provide faster hiring, a better candidate experience, and less work for your hiring team so they can focus on the points of contact that matter most. With human emphasis on the most important parts of the hiring process and good use of automation to provide on-demand responses, you will see increased conversions and overall better candidate experiences.

Tags: Automation, Recruitment, scheduling interview, Virtual Recruiting