How to Develop Candidate Engagement Into Your Staffing Firms
Candidate engagement has always been crucial for effective hiring, and it is arguably more important than ever. A survey of more than 2,000 global recruiting professionals identified candidates to have been the top two priorities for respondents. Sixty-one percent said candidate procurement was a top priority, and 36 percent said a top priority was candidate engagement.
But even as more and more recruitment professionals recognize the importance of engaging applicants, many fall short when it comes to taking real action. Commitment to the nominee includes buy-in from top-down. That’s not going to happen on its own. Here are a few steps you can take to ensure candidate engagement is more than just a buzzword for your business. For a full messaging plan for candidates, download the free checklist here.
1. Commit to Candidate Commitment
It should be a fundamental part of the identity of your company if your candidate’s engagement plan is to be an effective long-term initiative. In other words, think of it less as “one thing we do” and more as “one aspect of who we are.” Make involvement a priority and make it visible to your business. Speak about it at meetings across the organization and inspire staff to keep each other accountable for building a better candidate experience.
2. Nominate an Executive Partner
Select someone who will be responsible for the implementation of your candidate engagement plan and the continuing execution of the candidate engagement project for your company. Candidate engagement is a team effort, but an effective way of ensuring transparency is to select an independent mentor to oversee the candidate engagement plan. That person should be a recognizable member of your organization which can act as the face of your initiative to engage candidates.
3. Label your Candidate Engagement Plan to Create Excitement
Give its own name to your candidate’s participation program, and make it stick. Mention it on your website, in newsletters, meetings, conversations. If a stranger was going to visit your office for a day, should they hear someone talk about interaction with candidates? Will they know your organization has an interaction plan for the candidate in place? Allow people to talk about your attempts to support your candidate and they’ll soon be embodying them.
4. During the workweek, set aside time for the dedication
Time is a priority for recruiters, making it easy to fall by the wayside for less-prioritized responsibilities. Most recruiters consider candidates nearest to the money and it is easy to ignore the more basic elements of candidate involvement in doing so.
It is necessary to meet candidates at all stages of the Deployment Process to create the best possible candidate experience. Set aside a week’s time to make sure no candidates get neglected.
5. Performance Incentives
There are many critical reasons to concentrate on candidate engagement. It creates brand ambassadors from candidates who have a passion for your business.
But on an individual level, certain explanations are often less measurable. Incentives provide an immediate reason for supporting the effort to participate. Build competitions that reward recruiters and other members of the team to take proactive steps to connect with candidates. The reward system is a reliable way to get team members’ buy-in.
Conclusion
Perhaps significantly, rewards show that your dedication to voter participation isn’t just lip service to your staff and others. Rewarding acts that place emphasis on candidate participation shows the company takes this seriously. And candidates are listening.
