It can be vexing when candidates drop out of your hiring process after you’ve done so much work to get them through the pipeline. At the same time, candidate dropout can be positive, depending on the cause. If candidates feel like they don’t fit in with the company, it might be better that they withdraw sooner rather than later. But if they are leaving because they are not happy with the hiring process, it’s a larger issue that could cause you to miss out on great talent.
In either case, finding candidates who fit in well with the company and ensuring that they have a good experience is key to reducing candidate drop-off rates. Here’s a checklist to help you ensure that your candidates have a stellar experience during the hiring process:
Job description:
1) Use common titles: Internal jargon for job titles can be confusing to people who are not a part of your company
2) Include must-haves and nice-to-haves: A clear explanation of the job requirements can help candidates understand if they will fit in or if they can learn on the job.
3) Give the candidate a reason to work for you: Recruitment is a two-way street. Besides telling candidates the job responsibilities, tell them what they can get out of the role.
Employer research:
4) Build a career site: Help your candidates learn more about your company and give them the best perspective of your offerings through a career site.
5) Use social media for employer branding: Not only is a strong social media presence a great way to establish your employer brand, but you can also use it to make connections.
6) Research yourself: It is important for you to know what candidates will see if they search for your company. This will help you address issues mentioned in any negative reviews and learn how you can improve.
Application:
7) Be concise: Ask fewer questions and keep them simple. You can always get more information from the candidate later in the hiring process.
8) Avoid redundancies: Make sure that the information that you ask for is really needed.
9) Auto-populate data: Setting up a candidate portal can ensure that the data candidates give you is never lost.
Communicating with candidates / telephony integration:
10) Build a relationship: Candidates who can build a connection with the company and the recruiter are more likely to want to work for you.
11) Use multi-channel communication: Communicating through emails, calls, and SMS messages can ensure that candidates receive the information every time you reach out.
12) Avoid the candidate black hole: Tell candidates when they can expect to hear from you and follow through.
13) Personalize communication: Try to personalize your emails wherever you can so that candidates aren’t just talking to chatbots.
14) Create a point of contact for candidates: Make it easy for candidates to reach out to you whenever they want to
15) Send reminders and follow-ups: Create an automated system to send reminders and follow up throughout the process.
Assessing and interviewing:
16) Set deadlines: Setting deadlines for both the candidates and yourself will help you keep the process on track and provide timely feedback.
17) Make them feel welcome: Before the day of the interview, make the process easier for candidates by informing them about what the interview will entail, giving them tips, telling them how they can reach the interview location, and other useful details.
18) Structure the interview: An impromptu interview can seem off-putting and unprofessional to the candidates, so be sure to have a set plan.
19) Ask for feedback: Receiving feedback from candidates can ensure that you are constantly improving your process.
Offer and onboarding /docusign:
20) Expedite decision-making and paperwork: Offers that take too long to materialize can leave candidates frustrated.
21) Conduct market research and correction: Candidates often leave the hiring process because they are not happy with the offer. Research what competitors are offering for the same position beforehand and make sure the remuneration is competitive.
22) Continue to communicate with the candidate after offering the job: It is important to stay in touch during and after offering candidates a job to help them feel like they are a part of the company.
Recruitment technology / pipeline:
23) Speed up the hiring process: Slow hiring is a major contributor to candidate drop-off. Investing in a good ATS can help you streamline your hiring process, be more agile, and allow for easy integration with the tech stack.
24) Include mobile-responsive platforms: An Appcast survey from 2020 showed that 60.7% of job applications were filled on mobile devices, so be sure your process is mobile-friendly.
25) Analyze your process: Analytics can help you understand where in the hiring process the drop-offs are happening so you can make improvements.
Never lose a quality candidate again:
A good candidate experience is important to ensure better ROI in your recruitment process. Candidates who have good recruitment experiences with you will not hesitate to pursue opportunities at your company and spread the word about you to their peers.
