Why Candidate Personalization Matters

The way you treat recruits and new hires can make or break your brand

It’s a candidate’s market and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon. At the end of April, there were 7.4 million job openings and 5.8 million unemployed people in the US—meaning job seekers continue to have a plethora of work opportunities from which to choose. Talented candidates are in great demand and, therefore, are in a position where they can be selective. This means it’s absolutely crucial that employers provide positive and engaging recruitment experiences. 
 

Negative Hiring Experiences Can Break Your Brand…

If, for example, the application process for an open position is long and complicated or if it’s difficult for them to get in touch with a recruiter, candidates can easily move on to greener, more engaging opportunities. In fact, according to our data, 20% of contractors who receive an offer end up rejecting it (either formally or by “ghosting”) because of a lack of personal communication, check-ins, updates, and answers to their questions during the early stages of the hiring process. Studies have also found that 42% of candidates who have a poor experience say they would never consider working for the brand again and between 32–41% say they would no longer engage with the brand as a consumer. 

Candidates’ poor experiences and disgruntlement with your brand can also cause long-term problems for your recruitment pipeline and company image. Word-of-mouth and referrals are two of the most important drivers of interest from new prospects, and 72% of candidates who have poor experiences will leave negative reviews online or share their misgivings with a friend. They’re also 50% more likely to share their bad experiences on social media than they are to share good experiences. These public call-outs can create lasting damage to a brand’s employer reputation and even affect partner, investor, and customer relationships. 

...While Positive Experiences Can Make it.

Candidate personalization can prevent this from ever happening to your brand. Overall, job seekers are sick and tired of robotic, templated recruiter emails and in search of customized, personal employer relationships. With so many potential employers jockeying for their attention, candidates are more likely to be drawn to those that communicate regularly, reliably, and personally. By building trust and rapport with a candidate—via their preferred modes of communication, e.g., texting or Facebook Messenger versus email or phone calls—employers can stand out and improve their chances for candidate acceptance and retention.

For example, MissionStaff experienced trouble with client communications and low response rates and decided to seek out a way to streamline the implementation of proactive, personal communications. Once they started to improve communications and candidates became more engaged, they also found that they were able to reach candidates they hadn’t been able to reach before and respond to client requests more quickly and reliably. These improvements resulted in 30% less complaints from candidates and, after just one year, an additional $600,000 in revenue. 

Here’s How to Ensure Positive Hiring Experiences

Traditional funnel-shaped recruitment processes naturally lead to the trickle-off of communication that candidates hate. Though recruiters might be aggressively helpful and communicative while the candidate is applying and considering an offer, response times lengthen and candidate frustration and confusion grow once the offer has been accepted. Instead of allowing promising recruits to drip-drop down into oblivion once they’ve reached the bottom of the funnel, employers must constantly engage with candidates in a cyclical journey—retaining them as they become new hires and employees, and gaining their referrals and continued investment as they grow with the company. 

The only way to keep candidates moving through this cycle is by continuously engaging in relationship-building communication with them, but recruiters are busy and, despite their best efforts, simply cannot send out thousands of personalized follow-up emails every day. That’s why it only makes sense to turn to automation and other software tools. Technology makes candidate care more manageable and enjoyable for recruiters—instead of worrying about sending out a million check-ins and updates, they can spend their time speaking directly with promising potential hires. And, instead of painstakingly writing up mountains of customized notes to maintain rapport with every single candidate, they can trust the tech to send out reminders, happy birthdays, and thank yous that keep those relationships warm and happy.

The infusion of technology in recruiting to create more personal connections with candidates looking for the right job has already become a critical element of success in today’s labor market. Results-focused organizations are in the strongest place to take care of what matters most to their success—positive work experiences for every employee. By working with recruiters that understand how to build the foundation for that kind of experience from the very start of the process brands are creating new opportunities to attract and retain top talent for the long haul. 

Author Bio

Anil Dharni is CEO and Co-Founder of Sense. Follow @adharni