Recruiters: Got a bad case of the Mondays? Us, too.
It’s uncommon to eventually reach a week when activities are slightly out of order and it becomes puzzling trying to find your way back to your regular rhythm. Writers get writer's block. Recruiters get something more like a hiring block.
If you’re looking for a way to shake up your usual candidate outreach routine, try these tips:
Change the channel.
Did you know that over half of candidates prefer to be contacted through email than through any other medium, including someone they know? Many recruiters often make the mistake of relying primarily on professional networking sites as their means of communicating with a candidate, who rarely actually open such messages, let alone read through them. Candidates who provide their email convey the message that they’re open to being contacted, allowing your email to be more personalized and direct.
Rejig the style of your subject lines.
Here’s the general idea: Keep it short and compliment the candidate. To gain a candidate’s attention, express your interest by personalizing the approach, like mentioning a project or piece of work they created or calling attention to a mutual connection. Candidates are more likely to click through a message that sounds real and personalized than one that’s computer-generated and universal.
Keep a tab on the message’s word count.
Water cooler ice breaker: Old newspaper printers used to cut off the ends of news articles that were too long to fit on a page, so journalists had to make sure their stories communicated the most important details within the first few lines. Ergo, customize your message to the candidate and get the point. No candidate is interested in reading your book about the importance of the job opportunity you have for them. Not today, at least. Practice writing a solid, concise pitch for a candidate in under 200 words. It’ll force you to pick out and prioritize crucial information that would spark a prospective hire’s interest.
Shift around the order when listing benefits and perks of an opportunity.
Among the factoids candidates reported to be understated by recruiters are company culture and the opportunity for advancement. Instead of leading with compensation and other fiscal benefits, lead your candidate outreach message with other reasons as to how the opportunity will help him or her develop them in their long-term career growth.
Let the hiring manager do the talking.
Although your company’s hiring may be led by a recruiter or talent scout, many candidates aren’t interested in speaking with these people, but rather, their future boss. A hiring manager knows the ins and outs of a position, means of measuring success, and details on specific projects and tasks. Also, the action of a hiring manager directly reaching out to a candidate indicates that he or she is in demand and that the company is proactively interested in having them join the team.
Liked what you read? There’s plenty more where that came from.
Our latest free eBook offers a whole bunch of useful tactics to help your recruiters attract, engage, and hire top talent. Download your copy of “Effectively Messaging Candidates: Tips and Techniques for Your Team.”
