Recruiting is no longer just a passive process; it requires all parties involved to engage with each other consistently. Candidates feel more valued when they receive multiple forms of communication from an employer. However, only a fraction of recruiters feel confident in their ability to build strong relationships with candidates through relevant forums—and that’s where multichannel engagement automation comes into play.
The competition for talent
The competition for top talent has never been more fierce, and candidates have virtually unlimited options regarding where they want to work. This means you need an effective multichannel communication strategy to engage with the right people at all times.
Below are some reasons why you need a multichannel communication strategy:
- Candidates expect employers to be responsive and accessible via various communication channels (phone calls, text messages, email or messaging apps).
- Candidates are more informed thanks to the internet; therefore, they will be quick to walk away if they feel like they are not being heard or taken seriously by their potential next employer(s).
Why is candidate engagement critical?
It’s a shame, but it’s true: candidates don’t always feel valued by recruiters. And the reason for this is simple. Employers often have tunnel vision regarding candidate engagement—they focus on getting candidates through the hiring process and onto their team as quickly as possible. In doing so, they overlook two significant issues that are vital in ensuring long-term success:
- The candidate experience
- Candidate interest
There are three key reasons why recruiters should focus on improving engagement with candidates:
- Building trust is essential for recruiting effectively. Candidates must trust you to engage with your messages and apply for jobs. Engagement helps bridge communication gaps and, therefore, improves the trust equation.
- Engagement is also a way of building loyalty. The result is a lower turnover rate when posting new jobs. Engaging candidates throughout the hiring process makes it easier for them to understand the responsibilities, organization culture, and align their interests.
- Recruiting is a relationship business. Streamlined candidate engagement is the best way to build strong relationships with candidates and, as a result, recruit effectively. You can’t just send an email and expect people to apply — building a relationship with prospective talent is essential.
Importance of multichannel communication for streamlined candidate engagement
The need for multichannel communication for improved candidate engagement is undeniable. Having a consistent, coordinated message across all channels is critical to attracting talent and keeping them engaged throughout the hiring process.
Multichannel communication helps you:
- Stand out from other companies by offering an exceptional experience for candidates overwhelmed with messaging from multiple companies at once.
- Establish credibility and trust with candidates who want to know why they should work for your company over someone else’s.
- Proactively engage candidates on their terms—and where they spend most of their time—with personalised communications that get noticed amidst the daily deluge of emails in their inboxes.
- It helps you reach more candidates at once. The more channels you use, the more eyes and ears you have on your company. By providing a consistent message across them, you can attract talent and keep candidates engaged throughout the hiring process.
- It increases your chances of reaching people interested in working for your company.
- It lets you tailor your message to different roles and audiences so that each group receives the information they need to make an informed decision about applying for a job with you.
Tips for using multichannel communication to engage candidates
With multichannel communication, you can reach candidates in various ways and in a manner that can cater to every persona. Here are some practical ways to use different mediums:
- Email: The email should include the job description, requirements, and a link to the application form. Please send it via your company’s email address or a professional service.
- Social media: Stay active on social media platforms to engage with candidates; this will help get them better engaged with the company. If there’s no response after a reasonable time, explore other social media channels; however, ensure to avoid flooding any channel with posts! The key is to keep it straightforward and goal-oriented.
- Phone: Making phone calls is an excellent way to get to know the candidate’s personality and enthusiasm for the position, but it is best done after they have applied.
The importance of automation for multichannel communication
In such competitive talent-hunting landscaping, recruiters must be on every platform and provide a consistent experience for prospective candidates, regardless of where they find them. Manually handling this process is time-consuming and can hamper growth.
Automation can streamline multichannel communication efforts by making it easy for recruiters to create content and amplify it across all the channels where their candidates are looking for it. Automated posting makes it possible to manage several communication channels without updating each one individually; this means more time for strategic planning rather than just reacting to what’s happening in real-time.
The benefits of automation for multichannel communication
Automation is a great way to make your candidate communication channels more efficient and effective. It can benefit recruiters by:
- Creating a consistent experience across all communication channels helps ensure candidates feel like they are getting the same level of attention and opportunity across the board.
- Responding promptly to candidate inquiries enhances engagement and intrigue.
- Communicating with candidates on their terms; you respond when they are online or even send them an email to let them communicate at their convenience.
- Automating personalised communication and targeting each candidate’s interests allows recruiters to attract and engage more of the right people.
- Automating complex processing like job applications through technologies such as conversational AI to maintain engagement with virtually every candidate.
Here are some tips for building multichannel engagement efforts into your recruiting strategy:
- Align your candidate engagement strategy with your overall recruiting strategy.
- Use a variety of communication channels to reach out to candidates — even if some of them seem largely unconventional to your industry.
- Ensure your messages are personalised and relevant to the candidate’s hiring stage.
- Regarding engagement activities, ensure the recruiting team is on the same page.
- Create a comprehensive plan for how you’ll engage candidates and ensure it’s documented somewhere so everyone can access it.
- Automate as much of the process as possible—it will help you sift through prospective candidates pouring in from various channels and help you identify the ideal channel to seek candidates for your organisation.
Conclusion
In the modern talent marketplace, candidates are more aware than ever before. They expect to be treated with value and have the opportunity to engage with employers through multiple channels. Multichannel communication can help you connect with candidates more personally, but it’s essential to ensure that you use the right tools for the job. Automation can help you manage your communication across multiple channels and ensure that you’re always sending the right messages at the right time–keeping your pipeline full of top talent.
