Candidate experience and candidate ghosting are the latest buzzwords in the HR world, but that doesn’t mean they don’t represent real problems that our TA teams are facing.

When it comes to creating rave-worthy experiences that engage candidates and prevent ghosting, many TA teams are left scratching their heads. TA leaders recognize that some of the problems their teams face regarding ghosting and poor experiences stem from slow-moving and confusing processes.

Sure, it’s easy to say “Our time-to-fill is too long,” or “We have too many steps in our process,” but what can you actually do to remove some of the tricky parts and create a quick and efficient operation for your applicants?

We have a few ideas to help you kiss ghosting goodbye, improve your processes, and increase engagement, all of which will amplify your candidate experience.

 

Embrace Texting

There’s a great chance that when you ask candidates for their phone numbers, you also ask them for their preferred method of communication… But are you using that information in your hiring processes and beyond to meet your candidates on a platform that is convenient for them?

47% of candidates say they prefer texting as the main channel of communication for the hiring process.

Turns out, people aren’t only open to texting during the hiring process, but it also provides some impressive results.

“From the time of the first text to the phone screen was less than 30 minutes. I love it.”

– Kirstin, Dick’s Sporting Goods

So, how do we scale results like this to create a remarkable candidate experience across the board?

 

Automate When You Can

When it comes to keeping candidates and employees engaged at scale, learning to humanize automation helps you keep tabs on all the most important checkpoints without burning out your recruiters and HR managers.

As teams get comfortable with new communication standards and policies, they incorporate automations as a way to increase recruiter bandwidth while taking some of the most burdensome tasks off their plates.

For example, teams use automations to send messages on the recruiters’ behalf as candidates move through stages in the ATS or as they onboard.

These automated messages work to keep you at the forefront of your applicants’ attention!

Common use cases for automations include stage change information regarding next steps, reminders of upcoming tasks or events, and proactively setting expectations for timelines around things like background checks, drug tests, or other skills assessments out of your control.

Consequently, automation can be the game-changer for your team’s mental health and workload management, along with moving the needle on your candidate experience goals.

 

Close All the Loops

While automations work well to engage candidates actively pursuing the process, we have a secret weapon to help you reengage distracted talent. We call them Nudges.

Nudges work like your own personal Jarvis (for my Iron Man fans), AI bot, or second brain when it comes to staying on top of candidates 24/7.

What if you could simultaneously send someone a text, and schedule a reminder for tomorrow, and another reminder for three days later? Well, you can!

In addition to firing off these messages, when a candidate replies, Nudges automatically shut off.

For instance, you can send your initial message and a follow-up reminding them about it, and a few days later, a final message lets them know you won’t be reaching out again, but you are wishing them well and hoping they were hired elsewhere!

When you proactively close the loop in every conversation with candidates on the fringe, they are likely to take quick action if they are still interested. At the least, they will think highly of your company for your graceful exit.

Gone are the days of your recruiters carrying the mental burden of trying to remember who they need to follow up with, when, and how! They can set it, forget it, and sleep soundly every single night knowing their candidates are getting a personalized and tailored experience.

 

Encourage Team-Wide Adoption and Practices

One way to help boost candidate experience is to ensure that every single candidate is getting the same service throughout the process, no matter the department, recruiter, or team.

Standardization is key to elevating the experience as a whole!

Naturally, you want your recruiters to sound like the lovely, personable humans they are in real life! Your teams are built with individuals who are smart and capable of acting with integrity. Chances are they are working round-the-clock to create memorable experiences for the candidates they are serving.

Instead of having each team member reinvent the wheel, what if you found your secret sauce of templates and best practices that drive results and gave them the cheat codes they need for success?

When you template initial messages, it can feel like you’re boxing your recruiters out of being their personable selves. What really happens is that candidates get a level and consistent experience, which is elevated by the 1-on-1 conversations they will have with your recruiting team.

 

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