“They like me. They really, really like me.”
When was the last time you thought that about a candidate? You may be missing out on people responding to your moves to get them in the company if you’re overlooking their inconspicuous, low-key gestures.
Check out these signals a candidate likes what you’ve got to offer.
They’ve opened your email multiple times.
Take signals from your email tracking tool and note how frequently a candidate revisits your message. A candidate who opens your email more than three times could be gesturing they’re interested in rereading through your message details to learn more about the opportunity, and perhaps replying to your outreach. Remember to keep the email concise, informative, and personable. While writing your message, think, “Why should this person care about the role or my company? How can this position benefit their career goals? What are some details I can refer to about their professional experience that shows I did my research on them?”
Keep a lookout on your inbox for a reply from the candidate and follow up quickly to retain their attention.
They’ve visited your LinkedIn profile.
The LinkedIn footprint is the beloved bread crumb trail of the working world. Just as your visits to a candidate’s profile express your interest in them, a candidate who returns the favor or proactively visits your profile is looking to learn more about you or your company. Someone who visits you and profiles of other employees at your company could be showing interest in getting acquainted with the workplace and potential coworkers.
Try this: Send a message to a candidate about two days after their visit to reconnect and find out if they’re looking for more info on the role – timing this second step message shows candidates you’re determined, attentive, and appropriate with your outreach, rather than using it as a move of desperation.
They follow your company’s social profiles.
Bonus points for Liking and sharing your updates. This one is a blatant pointer to someone who’s not only interested in the opportunity and the company, but hopes you’ve noticed their moves.
Check in with the team or person who manages the company’s social presence, and be sure the details on the company’s profiles are up to date. Online activity, validation and klout are all forms of modern, virtual street cred.
They mark “I’m Interested” on AngelList.
AngelList’s nifty feature highlights users most likely to be open to hearing about your opportunities, meaning they’ve visited your company AL profile and selected “I’m interested” under Jobs. These people have actively expressed they welcome and expect to hear from recruiters if there’s an opportunity they could fit what the company is looking for.
After a candidate marks their AL interest in your company and they seem like a good fit for an open role at the team, follow up and open the conversation with more details and a link to the role description. If the timing isn’t right, maintain a multi-touch outreach approach so your company is top of mind when they restart their job search.
They download content from your site.
Think of talent as potential customers – just as a prospect gives your company their contact information to learn more about a product, a candidate who does the same wants to understand what your company does and the way the org markets itself to the public. This could come in the form of going through a demo of the product, reading through content from the marketing team, or being added to an email list for weekly company updates.
In your next message, refer to their download and find out if there’s any other information they’ re looking for. Attach it, click, send.
They ask detailed questions about your company or industry.
A candidate who follows up asking to learn more about your competitors, strategies to grow the team, or plans to develop and build the product has already put themselves in the shoes of someone who already works for the company.
Keep the conversation going as though you’re discussing business proposals with a current employee to communicate you’re genuinely interested in teaching, listening, and taking next steps to getting them in for an interview.
What are some other behaviors you’ve observed of a candidate who’s interested in your opportunities? Share them with us in the comments!
