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However, when the candidate journey is smooth, streamlined, and personalized, each applicant feels heard. When someone has a great experience during their job search and the hiring process, they are likely to be even more enthusiastic about the role. Even unsuccessful applicants will come away with a newfound appreciation of the company and a renewed ambition to secure that role next time.
The question that remains is how to engage with potential candidates during the candidate journey. Let’s take a look at the different phases, as shown in the image:
1. Awareness: looking for a job
For prospective employees, the first touchpoint is likely to be a job ad. Early engagement is key to ensuring the relationship gets off to a good start, so companies should kick things off with a simple reach-out. Even a short message thanking the candidate for their application is likely to be appreciated.
Grab the attention from the beginning and ensure that candidates can easily engage with you via their preferred channel.
2. Consideration: learn more about the job
After discovering a new job that interests them, candidates usually begin searching for more information about the role. Does it fit their background, skills, and ambitions? And where can they find this kind of information?
Candidates want fast answers but employers don’t want to waste time manually answering the same questions over and over. Think about how you can easily let candidates apply with a click of a button. Or what about the way you provide extra information about the job? They are many options to keep the conversation going.
3. Interest: open communication is key
Technology can keep the conversation going throughout the candidate journey, ensuring talented individuals don’t lose interest and start drifting toward a competitor. With many candidates sending off multiple applications at once, it’s important they remain continually engaged by a prospective employer. Open communication channels allow candidates to maintain engagement.
4. Applying: make it simple
Many candidates have experienced delight at finding their ideal job, followed by frustration at a complex, long-winded application process. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Optimize this phase with several smart solutions in order to create a faster and smoother applying process. With the right tools and software you can make sure that application frustration is a thing of the past.
5. Interview
With hybrid working embraced by many businesses, many candidates now expected that the first interview won’t be in person; it’ll be by phone or video. But remote or hybrid interviews need to be managed and organized slightly differently from those held in-person. To ensure interviews are organized smoothly, both candidates and employers need to be reassured that meeting dates will be made and kept.
6. Hiring: creating a positive experience
Yes! You’ve been chosen for your new role! But now what? In times past, this would have meant receiving thick stacks of paperwork outlining contracts and other details. Next to that, it maybe would take several days to finally complete the hiring process.
Nowadays, digital signatures can complete contracts in seconds entirely using a mobile device. This means you can save time and money.
What’s more, unsuccessful candidates can receive feedback and thanks for taking part in the recruitment process using your existing communication channels. With mobile devices, administrative tasks can be broken down into more manageable chunks so you don’t feel overwhelmed - just excited to start!
7. Onboarding: easy communication from day one
Proactive communication can ensure the onboarding process starts well, both before and after you arrive at your new workplace. Using CM.com for mobile engagement across various channels, from WhatsApp to SMS, can create a positive experience for new employees from the very start. Questions can be answered quickly, important resources can be shared, and any first day-nerves can be avoided.
8. Employment: ongoing caring
Just because an employee is settled into their new role, that doesn’t mean engagement should take a back seat. To ensure employees remain happy, they should continue to have access to mobile communication channels. Messages empathizing with common employee anxieties can help new starters settle in - as can response mechanisms that allow employees to share their worries in confidence.
How CM.com can help to find, engage and retain employees
Research suggests that candidate frustration is commonplace - whether it’s due to a lack of communication from employers or an overly long application process.
At CM.com, we studied the various touchpoints on the candidate journey, coming up with solutions to ensure the employer-candidate relationship is a good one - from the very first contact. Finding a job can be frustrating for candidates - but not with CM.com.
To learn more about how technology can help streamline and optimize the candidate journey, be sure to download our whitepaper, “How Tech Can Help HR & Recruitment: 8 Important Touchpoints to Find, Engage and Retain Employees."
