Turning Excited Candidates Into Engaged Employees

During the recruitment process, excitement and anticipation levels run high.

This is true for everyone involved and often means employers become so distracted by the process that they drop the ball when it comes to really understanding candidates.

According to the findings of research by Robert Half & Associates, 47% of candidates decide whether to take a job after an initial meeting and 91% are willing to quit within their first month in the role. Thirty-six per cent say one reason they’d be willing to quit is a lack of proper onboarding.

Rather than seeing an offer as the finish line, employers need to focus on engagement from day one and communicate consistently with candidates as they move from an offer, through pre-boarding and during the onboarding process.

Maintain engagement with meaningful communication

It’s critical to understand the value of good, consistent and engaging communication during recruitment, as a tool to inform and excite new recruits, even after the thrill of an offer wanes.

Candidate experience still tops the talent acquisition priority list. However, recent research from the Talent Board found that a lack of engagement during the hiring journey is still letting employers down, with:

• 27% of employers admitting they only ask for feedback after candidates are hired
  
• 26% of candidates citing their top complaint as the fact that the process took too long
  
• 52% of candidates still waiting for a response from their employer after 3 months
  

A slow, one-sided process implies a lack of respect for a candidate’s time and can have a long-term impact on the way they view your business as both a job seeker and a consumer.

Rather than just a box-ticking exercise, the recruitment period should be seen as an opportunity to communicate with and gather information about candidates, for three key reasons:

• Candidates that have been engaged throughout the recruitment process will be excited to join, onboard more efficiently, have a better understanding of the business from day one and quickly become part of the team.
  
• You’ll have a far greater understanding of their strengths, weaknesses and what makes new hires tick, giving you a much better chance of managing them well in the workplace.
  
• If a candidate doesn’t become an employee now, there’s nothing to say they won’t be a great fit for the business in the future - creating a good first impression is key to ensuring you’re front of their mind when they’re looking again.

Consistent and authentic communication will help you guide a candidate through the recruitment process and into your business with the confidence and excitement that their new employer knows and understands them.

The four Cs of a positive onboarding experience

Unfortunately, in many cases, candidate experience and employee engagement are still seen as two entirely different disciplines, often even managed by different departments

But there are a number of steps that can be taken to ensure the talent transition is smooth, positive and consistent. Here are our four Cs:

• Communication - with the introduction of tech solutions to every step of the hiring and onboarding process, it’s never been easier to communicate throughout.
  
• Customisation - tailor the recruitment experience for your candidates to make them feel valued and understood.
  
• Clarity - keep candidates in the loop throughout the process so they know where they stand and have a clear view of the next steps.
  
• Collaboration - work with other departments to share data and ensure that, as a candidate becomes an employee, the expectations set during recruitment are met in the workplace.

Waiting until an employee is in the business before engaging with them is shortsighted and misses the opportunity to leverage recruitment time to really get to know candidates.

By treating recruitment processes as information gathering and relationship building tools, employers can create the best basis on which to engage an employee throughout their time with the business.

To learn more, check out our webinar with Enboarder and Michael Hill’s Group Recruitment Manager, Lee Robinson, to hear our take on managing the recruitment journey and maintaining a strong employer brand throughout.

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