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Everyone is looking to do more with less. Thankfully, advances in recruiting automation are helping HR leaders and hiring managers optimize their hiring process like never before.
By implementing an applicant tracking system with automated resume screening, interview scheduling, applicant communication, and more, recruiting teams can save 10s of hours every week. But too heavy of a reliance on automation can come at the expense of a good applicant experience.
Lucky for you, you can have your cake and eat it too. By supplementing your recruiting automation process with a few small personalized moments, you can strike the right balance between efficiency and empathy—and create a great hiring experience for applicants and managers alike. Check out our tips in the video below, or keep reading.
1. Create video job descriptions
Video job descriptions can connect more with your audience than text. Consider asking a team member to record a short video going over the requirements of your open role. They can also share why they love working at your business or what growth opportunities exist.
Ensure your video has clear audio and is short and concise. Beyond including it in your job description, you can share this video on your social platforms or embed it on your career page. Recruiters can even text the link to interested applicants.
2. Use two-way text messaging
Times have changed. Nowadays, people go to great lengths to ignore a phone call. If you want to reach applicants, meet them where they are: text messages.
And reaching applicants quickly matters. Our data also shows that if employers respond to an applicant within an hour of receiving their application, they have a 25% higher chance of hiring them.
3. Personalize your communications
One of the biggest advantages of recruiting automation is the ability to send messages to applicants at all the right touchpoints without having to lift a finger. But too many generic and impersonal messages can make applicants feel like just another number in the system. Tailored messages show applicants you’re a real person and your business cares.
So do a mix of both. Automate messages to send at transactional moments, like when you’ve received an application, but take the time to send a personal message after they schedule an interview to show you’re excited to meet them.
4. Give feedback
Recruiting automation can also help you send rejection letters to all applicants in your funnel who aren’t hired. And while not having to do that manually is a big time-saver, consider personalizing your rejection letter to applicants you took the time to interview.
Taking that extra step to help them understand why they weren’t hired for the position shows you were thoughtful in your selection process, provides areas for self-improvement, and leaves applicants with a more positive experience, even though they didn’t get the job.
5. Create an onboarding video
Recruiting automation software can streamline the onboarding process, too, by enabling new hires to complete paperwork digitally before they even have their first day. But even though new hire paperwork is typically pretty sterile and repetitive, you can infuse some personality into the process by working a friendly welcome video into your onboarding workflow.
It allows the new hire to familiarize themselves with the manager or business, creates a warm atmosphere, and builds anticipation for their first day. Depending on the onboarding process, you can also include watching the video as a task so you know they’ve watched it and are ready to go on day one.
6. Build a mentorship program
Assign mentors to new hires to give them a support system from the start and make it easier to develop a sense of belonging. The early days of any job can include a lot of shadowing or grunt work. Giving new hires a mentor helps them feel more connected as they find their place on the team. It enables them to acclimate to the organization’s culture, understand their role, and build relationships. This creates a sense of community and connection, reducing feelings of isolation and improving employee engagement from the first day.
Keep it human
Recruiting automation software has significant advantages but should never come at the cost of human touch. By implementing some of the above strategies, organizations can strike a balance between efficiency and empathy. This will not only enhance the candidate experience but also strengthen employer branding and foster long-term engagement.
