Communicate with pipeline candidates

Why it’s so important to keep communicating with your pipeline candidates

How often, after applying for jobs, have you been left frustrated and disappointed by a prospective employer ceasing all communication with you and vanishing at a certain point, not even telling you whether your application was a success or failure?

Now, fast-forward to the current work of your hiring managers and HR staff, and you can probably begin to realise precisely why that situation comes to pass so often.

With so many applicants and interview pipelines to deal with at once, you might feel too overwhelmed at times to be able to keep up communication with all of your candidates – what with scrutinising CVs, shortlisting, rejecting and answering questions from candidates all needing to be done.

 

But communication coming to a halt isn’t acceptable

If a certain déjà vu is washing over you as you read this, it might be because of your familiarity with a very similar phenomenon – that of romantic partners breaking off relationships and ceasing to communicate, without any apparent warning or justification.

It’s called ‘ghosting’, and it’s certainly not something that your company should be doing to its candidates. That is not least because of the potential reputational damage to your company, but also because it just isn’t very courteous.

 

Are you doing enough to preserve pipeline candidates’ interest?

The more candidates you have in your pipeline and the longer your hiring process takes, the greater the risk there is of some candidates losing interest in your firm and taking up offers from competitor companies. That’s why consistent engagement with your most talented pipeline candidates is so crucial.

Nor does keeping such candidates in the loop necessarily have to be an onerous or complicated process. It may simply be a case of sending them an email, expressing your hope that all is well with them. You may also let them know that your department is currently reviewing all applications and is expecting to schedule interviews by a certain time.

If, at a slightly later stage, interviews have been carried out but there is a delay to the final decision being made, you may then send another email. This new message may inform the candidate that you haven’t forgotten about them and you will be back in touch with them as soon as the hiring managers have made a decision.

 

Recruitment software can also be instrumental

While such straightforward measures as periodic emails could make a big difference to how your pipeline candidates perceive your company, you also shouldn’t underestimate the similarly invaluable role that the right applicant tracking system (ATS) can play.

As leading ATS providers here at Webrecruit, we can provide you with the solution that could significantly assist in streamlining your recruitment process – and as a result, help to ensure you maintain open communication with every single promising candidate.



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