The job market is tough for candidates at the moment. Demand for jobs is high and thousands of new people are entering the job market on a daily basis; for some, this will be the first time in decades.
Adding to this, you just need to glance at social networks, such as LinkedIn, to gain an understanding of their frustrations:
“I’ve applied for 20 jobs this month and not had a response to any of my applications.”
“I was told I’d hear back from the employer in three days and it’s been over a week.”
“I don’t even know if the jobs I’m applying for are still available.”
On the flipside, HR teams from hiring companies are struggling to keep their heads above water as they’re swamped with applications.
Take the Manchester-based restaurant, for example, that received over 1,000 applications within 24 hours for a receptionist role advertised last month, according to the BBC.
With so many applications to review, it can be overwhelming for HR teams and hiring managers. However, just because the candidate market is active, it’s important that you don’t let the candidate experience suffer.
Candidates applying for jobs with your company will remember how you made them feel; if they spent two hours putting together a detailed application for you and don’t hear anything back, it doesn’t reflect well on you as an employer.
We recognise the challenges experienced by HR and recruitment teams when dealing with high volumes of applications; here are our top tips to make sure the candidate experience doesn’t slip.
Reply to every candidate
This might sound challenging when dealing with hundreds of applications but communication really is everything; every candidate who applies to work for your company should receive an application confirmation and an outcome.
Manually churning out emails can be extremely time consuming, which is why we recommend taking advantage of technology. Recruitment software, such as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), will send these emails on your behalf, so when you move a candidate to your ‘Unsuccessful’ stage, they will be automatically sent an email letting them know.
Webrecruit ATS allows you to set up on-brand email templates and workflows so you can control exactly what communications are sent to candidates and when.
When you’re satisfied you’ve got enough applicants, close your role
If you’ve received enough high quality applications in the first week of advertising your vacancy, close the role, both on your ATS and on any job boards where you’ve posted the role.
Remember that most job boards display adverts for 4-6 weeks as standard so if you’re closing your role before then, you will need to manually make sure that it’s removed; don’t just wait for it to run its course.
Leaving jobs advertised for longer than you need to means that there will likely be more candidates you need to disappoint and doesn’t create a great experience if you need to instantly reject them because you’ve already filled the role.
Set expectations at the earliest stage
While your application levels are high, it’s important to adjust your communications to set candidate expectations.
For example, you could tweak your application confirmation email to state that you’re receiving an increased volume of CVs but all applications will be responded to.
Setting timescales and sticking to them is important; however, make sure the timescales you set are realistic. If you usually assess applications within three days, consider changing this to five days or a timescale that is more appropriate for your company and current work volumes. This will also deter candidates from chasing up applications before this time has passed.
Stay on top of new applications coming in
Just because there are an increased number of candidates on the market, it doesn’t mean that they will be waiting around for long. Keep on top of any new applications and if you decide to progress someone for an interview, don’t just hang around. As always, there’s a chance they will be snapped up by someone else!
Application notification emails generated by your ATS can help you keep on top of any new applications you’ve received on a daily basis, allowing your hiring to stay on track.
Great post! We are linking to this particularly great article on our site. Keep up the good writing.
I wanted to thank you for this wonderful read!! I absolutely enjoyed every little bit of it. I have you saved as a favorite to look at new things you post…
I was able to find good advice from your content.
This website was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something which helped me. Kudos!
Hello there, I believe your site might be having browser compatibility problems. When I look at your site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues. I just wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Apart from that, fantastic site.
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and the rest of the website is really good.
You have made some really good points there. I checked on the internet to find out more about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this web site.
I’m impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s both equally educative and interesting, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something which not enough men and women are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy that I came across this in my hunt for something relating to this.
Good blog you have got here.. It’s hard to find high quality writing like yours these days. I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
Excellent article! We will be linking to this particularly great article on our website. Keep up the good writing.
After I originally commented I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the same comment. There has to be a means you are able to remove me from that service? Many thanks.
Everything is very open with a really clear clarification of the challenges. It was definitely informative. Your website is extremely helpful. Many thanks for sharing!
Excellent web site you’ve got here.. It’s hard to find high-quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate people like you! Take care!!
Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Thanks, However I am experiencing issues with your RSS. I don’t know the reason why I can’t join it. Is there anybody getting identical RSS problems? Anyone that knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanx.
I truly love your website.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you create this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m attempting to create my very own website and want to find out where you got this from or exactly what the theme is named. Cheers!
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday. It’s always helpful to read through content from other writers and use something from other web sites.
Saved as a favorite, I love your blog!
Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Many thanks, However I am experiencing issues with your RSS. I don’t understand the reason why I am unable to subscribe to it. Is there anyone else having identical RSS problems? Anybody who knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanx!
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a friend who has been conducting a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this subject here on your web site.
Having read this I thought it was really enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this information together. I once again find myself spending way too much time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
That is a very good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate information… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read post.
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Many thanks, However I am encountering difficulties with your RSS. I don’t understand why I can’t join it. Is there anybody else getting identical RSS issues? Anyone that knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanx!
This is a topic that is near to my heart… Thank you! Where can I find the contact details for questions?
Next time I read a blog, Hopefully it won’t fail me just as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I actually thought you would have something interesting to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something that you can fix if you were not too busy looking for attention.
This website definitely has all of the info I wanted concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Having read this I thought it was really enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this informative article together. I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worthwhile.
Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through many of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m definitely happy I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often!
I’m very happy to uncover this page. I need to to thank you for your time just for this fantastic read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it and i also have you book marked to see new stuff on your website.
An intriguing discussion is worth comment. I believe that you should publish more on this topic, it may not be a taboo subject but typically people don’t speak about these subjects. To the next! Kind regards.
This is a very good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate info… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!
The very next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn’t disappoint me as much as this one. After all, I know it was my choice to read through, however I truly believed you would have something helpful to say. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something you could fix if you weren’t too busy searching for attention.
Excellent article. I definitely love this website. Keep it up!
I’m impressed, I must say. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I came across this during my search for something regarding this.
Great info. Lucky me I found your blog by chance (stumbleupon). I have book marked it for later.
Greetings, I believe your web site might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Other than that, great blog.
This is a very good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate info… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read post!
Hi! I simply want to offer you a big thumbs up for your excellent info you have got right here on this post. I will be coming back to your web site for more soon.
Hello there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept talking about this. I most certainly will forward this post to him. Pretty sure he’s going to have a very good read. Thanks for sharing!
Really enjoyed this post.Really thank you! Keep writing. makaberzux
whoah this blog is magnificent i really like studying your articles. Stay up the good work! You already know, a lot of individuals are looking around for this info, you could aid them greatly.