If a candidate you think could be “the one” ghosts you during the recruitment process today, two things are true for sure. First, they probably just weren’t that into you. Second, in today’s tight talent market, it hurts a heck of a lot more than it did back when we were young and love was just for fun.

Luckily, the first of those two true things is controllable, whereas the pain of rejection is something I can’t help you with. Sorry. But the good news is that there are heaps of things you can do to avoid the rejection of ghosting by helping the candidates of your dreams be “all that into you.” In fact, here are five focus areas that will go a long way. Best of all, I’m not even going to tell you that you should wait three days before you text them.

Your employer brand is their first impression

Employer branding—it’s here to stay. Employer branding has evolved in the last decade to be an absolute expectation in the hearts and minds of top talent. The best candidates expect your organization to have a brand message and employee value proposition (EVP), and they expect to see this clearly articulated on the careers page of your website.

A strong employer brand is your first chance to get top talent “really into you.” Don’t miss this chance, because your talent competitors won’t. There’s a mountain of help available, and it doesn’t have to cost the earth. The most important element of employer branding is authenticity. If the employer brand you present to candidates does not come true for hires once on board, then you’ll only have achieved the workplace equivalent of a bad marriage. Authentic, clear employer branding, on the other hand, is your first and strongest secret weapon toward strong engagement with a talent pool in which you’re as right for them as they are for you.

Money matters, but so does everything else

When good candidates ghost you during the recruitment process, it’s easy to assume that they got a higher paying offer. I have two thoughts with regard to this. First, could you have established a stronger relationship with the candidate much sooner, thereby getting the chance to have a conversation with them about how your offer really stacks up against the competing one?

Second, it’s never just about the dollars, and employers need to make all the other benefits clear. Recruiters and hiring managers need to deeply understand the wider value of the career opportunity they’re hiring for, including all benefits, feel confident and full of belief in that value and be able to articulate it with clarity. And that can’t wait until the interview stage. More on urgency in point three, so let’s race on to that one.

It actually is a race

You really don’t have the luxury of taking your time in the war for talent that a tight candidate market brings. Ghosting is often the result of insufficient candidate engagement very early in the recruitment process. You need to be reviewing applications as soon as they come in, shortlisting them quickly and efficiently, contacting them (using your voice, not just email) pronto and getting them stepping through a smart, enjoyable recruitment process before you lose the best of them to talent competitors with a better process. Give yourself the competitive advantage of top-notch recruitment technology to help you with this, and if you’re short on time, outsource.

Every candidate deserves a fabulous experience

The candidate experience—from reading your very first job advertisement and clicking through to your careers portal, or being headhunted online or through a phone call, all the way through the application, shortlisting and interview process, then offer and acceptance—should be your biggest strategic advantage.

Don’t let any element of the candidate’s journey let you down. Review, discuss and practice every single step along the way to ensure that no step is the one causing ghosting. It’s so easy to optimize the candidate experience your organization becomes known for, and it’s also terribly easy to get it wrong. Take the time to know that you, your team and every hiring manager in your organization are getting every element of candidate care right—every email, every call, every interview, every contact.

The movie doesn’t end with the proposal

Twenty years ago, candidates committed to a new employer when they signed an offer. That’s no longer the case. Today, candidates tell us that they fully commit only once on board and that the induction process, in particular, is crucial to them knowing they made the right choice and one they intend to stick with. So put someone awesome in charge of induction and make sure the whole team is right behind that crucial first impression.

As Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, says, “Acquiring the right talent is the most important key to growth. Hiring was—and still is—the most important thing we do.” I fervently agree. The stakes are so high, and the best talent is so elusive right now. It can be incredibly disheartening when a candidate you’re excited about suddenly ghosts you. It’s great to know that the right recruitment systems, technology, branding and, most of all, attitude can save you some real pain and see you winning the war for talent.

This article was originally published on Forbes and was republished here with permission. You can find the original article here.

Andrea Davey is the CEO at Scout Talent. Andrea and her team harness the potential of technology and the passion of people to grow companies, careers and communities.

The post Got ghosted by a candidate who might have been The One? How to avoid future rejection appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.

The Microsoft Work Trend Index found that over 40% of people are considering leaving their employer in 2021. At the same time, the importance of recruiting and retaining top talent isn’t lost on senior leaders around the world. PwC’s Annual Global CEO survey for 2021 found that “the creation of a skilled, educated and adaptable workforce” was at the top of the priority list for those surveyed.

If you’re trying to grow your team, or you’ve had staff jump ship to work elsewhere, you’re no doubt experiencing the challenges of attracting and acquiring great people in the current Covid-climate.

Here are three tips to win the war for talent, in a market where candidates are in the driver’s seat.

1) Review your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) with a post-pandemic lens

The post Three ways you can rebuild your team after the Great Resignation appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.

Imagine investing in a brand new Swiss Army Knife…and only using the corkscrew! Or worse yet, what if you used some tools incorrectly and hurt yourself in the process?

Some organisations make similar mistakes using their recruitment tech and ATS automation features. Failing to use great features can be due to poor training and team changeovers. On the other hand, some recruiters use ATS automation features that damage their employer brand without them knowing it.

Recruitment automation is the technology and tools that allow organisations to automate recruitment tasks and workflows.

While you may not need to use 100% of the recruitment automation features in your Applicant Tracking System, here are three useful ones to use, as well as three you should avoid. These tips will make life easier for you and your candidates, while retaining the human element in your recruitment process.

Recruitment automation features to USE

1. Knock-out questions

You may be using tailored screening questions already. But can you tie non-negotiable requirements to ATS automation?

For example, many recruiters choose to ask candidates if they have the right to live and work in the country, with “yes” or “no” response options. Employers that are unable to offer roles or relocation assistance to overseas candidates can tie an “ineligible” status to candidates who respond “no” to save time when screening.

Note, this feature comes with an important caveat. Be sure to read about ATS automation features to avoid at the end of this article.

2. Interview scheduling

Previously, playing phone tag to schedule interviews was frustrating for both recruiters and candidates. Now, interview scheduling features in your Applicant Tracking System automate this process.

Select your interview times and send a personalised, branded email invitation to your top candidates, allowing them to choose a time at their convenience. This is particularly useful if you need to involve multiple stakeholders in the interview process.

Be sure to personalise these email invitations with system placeholders that can populate your email template with candidate and job details.

3. Post jobs across platforms

Despite the recent shift to an employer-driven market, posting a single job ad on Seek won’t net you the best talent. Most Applicant Tracking Systems integrate with a variety of job boards, so you can share your recruitment advertisement across channels at the click of a button.

Recruitment automation features to AVOID  

There are times when automation isn’t always positive. Here are three examples of features to steer clear of.

1. Generic, unbranded emails

Every candidate should receive an email confirmation after they submit an application. However, bland emails that begin with “Dear candidate”, “This is an automated response”, or “Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted,” are a huge turn-off.

Create beautiful, branded emails with your logo and colours. Better yet, send them “from” a real member of your team with their name and signature. Can you encourage candidates to connect with you on your social media channels, or check out your careers site? Use this as another touch point to strengthen your employer brand.

2. Instant rejection emails

While it’s frustrating for candidates to never hear back about a role, it can be even worse for them to receive an instant rejection email, especially after investing the time to apply.

As a candidate shared in our Candidate Experience survey: “If I’m mistreated during the recruitment process, I’ll make a note to never apply there again. How they treat applicants tells you a lot about what they think about staff and how they run their business.”

Rejecting candidates with tact and grace is a natural part of any good recruitment process. These communications create a lasting impression of your brand, positive or negative. Doing it right allows you to keep the door open for them to apply for roles in the future or provide referrals.

Wait at least 2-3 days after a candidate’s application to share unsuccessful feedback (this is something that you can automate well with certain Applicant Tracking Systems). Ensure your recruitment workflow is established correctly from the start, particularly if you are using multiple automation features in conjunction, such as knock-out screening questions and system-triggered rejection emails.

3. Applications with too many steps

Applications that are too complex, ask for duplicate information, require candidates to create user accounts, or demand too much information up front, such as referee details, result in higher candidate drop off rates.

As this candidate explained, “Having to separately re-enter all the data from my CV is frustrating and time-consuming.”

Recruitment automation is changing the face of hiring. Ensure you’re using your ATS to its fullest potential! Use these tips to strengthen your employer brand, avoid the pitfalls and retain the human element in your organisation’s recruitment.

Andrea Davey is CEO for Scout Talent Group,  a recruitment software and services company with 80 employees across Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Vancouver and Aukland. She is passionate about helping organisations attract and recruit the best talent through specialist services such as advertising, shortlisting and selection, employer branding and recruitment software. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

The post 3 MUST-USE recruitment automation features (and ones to avoid) appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.

Two of the most common questions I get asked during this time of year are; “Are candidates looking for jobs over the Christmas period?” and “Should we be recruiting during this time?”.

And the answer to both is a resounding “yes!” Why, you ask?

Less competition = better chance for success

Have you noticed how much competition there is on job boards these days? Job advertisements that used to sit on page one of a search for anywhere up to two weeks are now dropping off into oblivion in a much shorter time frame. In particularly busy categories and locations, this can happen in one day!

The plus side of advertising over the Christmas period is that there are, more often than not, fewer companies recruiting at this time, meaning your advertisement will stay at the top of search results longer. More visibility, better ROI, and less competition? Tick!

Tis the season…to find a new job!
Did you know that more people change jobs in January than any other time of year? However –  nine times out of ten they have already started thinking about the move before the festive season starts.

If you’re holding off starting your recruitment advertising until the end of January, you’re running the risk of losing visibility with this active and engaged talent pool. Instead, why not schedule your advertising to run for you while you’re on leave? That way, while you’re relaxing poolside with a cocktail in hand, candidates can still be applying for your positions and their applications will be ready and waiting for you on your return to the office.

Feeling overwhelmed about how you’re going to achieve all of your recruitment goals in the next couple of weeks? I love nothing more than to help organisations attract the best people and see them hit their targets for the Christmas and New Year period. Get in touch with me and mention this article to access a free consultation and assessment, and learn more about our Christmas special on shortlisting services.

Is your organisation interested in being featured in Recruitment Marketing Magazine? Contact the editor to discuss opportunities to feature your story.

Andrea Davey is COO at Employment Office, a recruitment marketing organisation with 80 employees across Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Vancouver. She is passionate about helping organisations attract and recruit the best talent through specialist services such as advertising, shortlisting and selection, employer branding and recruitment software. Andrea also manages Scout Talent, an innovative software company with products that streamline clients’ recruitment processes to ensure they see the best people first. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

The post Holding off recruiting over the Christmas break? You shouldn’t be! Here’s why. appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.