Recruitment tips and tricks: How to approach your candidate

Finding the ‘right’ candidate is only one aspect of the job, you still need to engage with candidates and develop a professional working relationship. There are numerous ways in which you can interact with candidates, but which ones get the best results? To help you determine the right engagement strategy, we have compiled a two-part blog series, part one of our recruitment tips and tricks is available here and covers how recruiters can fill a job vacancy. To help recruiters achieve better results with candidate engagement, part two of our blog series shares recruitment tips and tricks to help recruiters improve their engagement!

1. Sell the position

Why should a candidate choose the job you’re advertising? What’s so great about it? Recruitment isn’t just about posting vacant positions on job boards and calling up the people who apply. It’s about selling the position to those who do, giving them the specific information they need and providing them with a reason to be excited about it.

For many jobseekers, applying for jobs is a nerve-wracking process. By showing your candidates that you’re delighted to speak with them and then inform them in detail about the opportunity, they will be more inclined to hear you out.

2. Be personal with your engagement

This coincides with our previous point: do not make the mistake of assuming your candidates are just part of a quota which you need to fill. Put yourself in their shoes. For many of your candidates, they receive impersonal, unsolicited emails, texts and phone calls throughout the day, and are undoubtedly infuriated with some recruitment consultants.

It falls to you to be personal and to care about their job search. Not only will they be more receptive to your communication, but they will also open up – giving you a better understanding of them as a person, which is something you can use to skill market them for specific positions.

Even if they are unsuccessful, take the time to give them a call and explain why, and continue to help them in their search. And, when they are successful, congratulate them. If you provide them with a superb service, they will be more likely to suggest your organisation to others who are searching for a position in the future.

3. Pick up the phone

Emails, while simple and straightforward, are easily ignored. Most candidates will be inundated with emails along the lines of: ‘[name] your latest job news’, ‘Content Writer Required’, ‘New Job Opportunity’. Some of these emails will be relevant to their job search, but most of them will not (as your details get passed around numerous job boards once you apply to one).

Instead of firing off a generic, or even personalised email, call your candidate and arrange an ideal time to talk – perhaps at lunch or towards the end of the day. They will be pleasantly surprised that you took the time to call them to discuss what they need.

If they don’t pick up, leave a friendly message asking for the best time to contact them.

Most importantly, do not bombard them with constant emails and texts if they do not respond – wait a week, try again, if that fails, wait 10 days or so and repeat. After that, do not bother them.

4. Make sure you understand a candidate’s motivation

Know your candidate – and why a particular job might be rewarding for them. As a recruitment professional, your job is to fill positions, of course – but it will make it significantly easier if you know your candidate’s preferences and aspirations innately.

You do not want to be in the position where you have put forth your candidate into a role which does not appeal to them, and have to explain to both the candidate and the prospective employer that you ‘made a mistake’.

[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none”]For any recruiter, building a professional relationship with your candidates is a must.[/tweet_box]

For any recruiter, building a professional relationship with your candidates is a must. As you begin to gain their trust and understand exactly what it is they are looking for, you can provide them with the best opportunities. This will not only increase their appreciation and respect for you, but also for your business.

5. Follow up, network and encourage candidates to apply again

Always follow up with your candidates and keep them in the loop. There is nothing worse than leaving a candidate in the dark, wondering whether their application has progressed. It is your job to call them, not theirs to call you at this point. They will appreciate the consideration on your part – and they will understand and respect the fact that they are not the only candidate you are working with.

Giving candidates access to opportunities is part of your job. It also gives them the chance to comment about how you helped them with their job search, leave positive comments online about you and your organisation, and recommend your organisation to others

Lastly, if a candidate you have put forward is unsuccessful, you will know before they do. At this point, rather than going into radio silence, call them (email is far too impersonal for something such as this) and encourage them to apply for similar positions and, most importantly, keep trying.