Not having the time and resources to communicate with job seekers isn’t a valid excuse anymore given the affordability of a fully-featured applicant tracking system.
Searching for a new job can be a tough process. Job seekers find an interesting role at a promising employer. They get excited. They apply. Crickets. That’s right, more often than not, they never hear back from the employer.
Lack of communication ranks as one of job seekers’ biggest grievances about potential employers. Improving communication between job candidates and HR departments is something employers continue to talk about. Talk is cheap. Repairing an employment brand is difficult and requires nothing short of a public relations make over.
There’s good news. Talk is still cheap and there are affordable mid-market applicant tracking systems that improve communications with applicants almost immediately. That’s right. The right applicant tracking system will act like a public relations resource from day one. With robust email templates and automatic stage-specific triggers, communications (or lack thereof) that were once a black eye for HR become gold star that any smart public relations pro will endorse.
Here are three reasons why small and medium-size employers need the right tools to become PR-minded and make an effort to improve communications with job seekers now.
The lack communication is like Raid for good applicants.
Not sure if you got the memo? Unemployment is at 6% nationally. It isn’t an employers’ market anymore. Good applicants are taking jobs at a record pace. Many receive multiple job offers. It’s the whole supply and demand thing. The employer that communicates early and often has a measurably better chance of engaging the best candidates. Long periods of silence, slow response times and sloppy messaging exterminate employers’ chances of landing the best job candidates.
HR and recruiting departments are brand ambassadors.
An employer that’s slow to respond or that doesn’t respond at all poisons the employment community with negativity. Don’t think that applicants talk, tweet and comment? Heard of Glassdoor? Impersonal, ineffective communications (or a complete lack of communication) will negatively impact your reputation. The bottom line is that HR and recruiting pros need to step up and act like brand ambassadors for the business. This means crafting accurate, intelligent, thoughtful, timely messaging that treats applicants like customers.
Treat others how you expect to be treated
If you’re reading this, you’ve looked for a job. Remember the anxiety? Listen, the most successful HR and recruiting leaders are empathetic. They treat people with respect. Being communicative with job seekers boils down to common professional decency. Not having the time and resources to communicate with job seekers isn’t a valid excuse anymore. It’s time to put the tools and processes in place to ensure that, as the mouthpiece for the employment brand, you’re treating people how you’d expect to be treated.
Need to modernize your applicant tracking system?
It’s time. You don’t need to break your budget. Learn more about Newton, an affordable, fully-featured applicant tracking system that will help you communicate with job seekers, hiring managers and executives easily and thoughtfully. Get in touch with a Newton applicant tracking system expert today.
The post Recruiting and PR: Two Peas in a Pod with the Right Applicant Tracking System appeared first on Newton Software.
