How to keep candidates engaged
Learn actionable tactics that strengthen candidate engagement.
In recent years, there was a 20% increase in job seeker drop-off from the hiring process. It’s a startling trend that removes quality candidates from your talent pool. Here are the top reasons why the best candidates might be leaving your process – and what you can do about it.
Sourcing
Finding the best quality candidates to focus on is one of the most essential parts of the process. Here’s why candidates disengage too early.
Fall-out reason #1
Candidates in the role you’re filling identify with different titles.
Solution
Search for candidates using a familiar job title, then read through the results and note other recurring job title variations. Next, add the “OR” Boolean search operator to your original search and include those titles. Expanding your terminology might just expand your talent pool.
Fall-out reason #2
Candidates are engaging with competitors who contacted them first.
Solution
Expand your focus by looking past top candidate search results. You’ll still see quality candidates, but from a different perspective. Many recruiters and hiring managers limit their focus to the first few pages of search results, meaning competitors and you are often looking at the same candidates. But descending order doesn’t necessarily mean descending quality.
Fall-out reason #3
Candidates aren’t given the opportunity to engage with you.
Solution
Refine your candidate search results by embracing the “NOT” Boolean search operator. By excluding certain terms, you’ll see a better-targeted stack of candidates. If you’re basing your searches on every conceivable qualification, you’re likely experiencing candidate overload, leaving little to no time for engaging with those who are qualified.
Application
Applying for a job should be painless and instill confidence. Here are common turnoffs candidates experience during the application stage.
Fall-out reason #1
Candidates aren’t getting a true sense of your company online.
Solution
Consider investing in a company careers page or revisiting your current content. Having an online page with easily accessible information about company culture, values, perks, and benefits all in one place will leave curious candidates feeling far more confident.
Fall-out reason #2
Job posts are missing information that’s essential to candidates.
Solution
Job postings should work for you but speak to candidates, so be sure to include a salary range and a description of benefits. Candidates consider them the most important parts of a job description. Plus, including them is a subtle sign of your commitment to transparency and fair pay.
Fall-out reason #3
The job qualifications list is a set-and-forget hiring strategy.
Solution
Round out hiring efforts by supplementing your job post’s list of candidate qualifications with thoughtful recruiting. By understanding the intricacies of the role, you’ll be better able to maximize time with candidates and assess their fit-well beyond a list of qualifications.
Outreach
What you say, or don’t say, when reaching out to candidates can color their perceptions. Here are a few commonly missed gaps to consider.
Fall-out reason #1
A hard-selling first email could be steering candidates away.
Solution
If your top priority is filling the position at any cost, candidates can tell. Be curious about each candidate’s career journey and be gentle with the urgency to hire. Even among non-matches, earned trust could lead to a future opportunity.
Fall-out reason #2
Emails aren’t clearly stating what candidates should do next.
Solution
Be proactive in your communications. For example, asking “Are you free to chat this week?” seems direct but puts the onus on the candidate. Instead, ask “Are you available on [days] at [times]?” It gives the candidate options and keeps things moving.
Fall-out reason #3
An email with no follow-up can get lost in a candidate’s inbox.
Solution
Consider setting up reminders to send follow-ups about a week after your last email. Quality candidates receive lots of emails. Sending follow-ups is a tactful nudge that can be fully personalized and shows candidates you’re genuinely interested.
Interview
So, it’s time to speak to the candidate face-to-face. Here are common challenges surrounding the interview itself.
Fall-out reason #1
Candidates aren’t adequately prepared for interviews.
Solution
Build confidence in your candidates by sharing what they need to succeed. For example, in a pre-interview email, confirm your address, recap must-bring materials, and link to interviewers’ LinkedIn profiles. Take it upon yourself to sweat the small stuff on their behalf.
Fall-out reason #2
The interview process places too much weight on hard skills.
Solution
Probe for hard skills, but set up a process for evaluating soft skills, too. Traits like creativity, adaptability, and collaboration correlate to employee longevity. Plus, ignoring soft skills can come across as impersonal, transactional, and uninvested.
Fall-out reason #3
The decision-making process lacks a unified interview approach.
Solution
Have decision makers align on the role’s scope and define what makes an ideal candidate. Then, have them divvy up interview questions and determine who delves deeply into which topic. You’ll eliminate overlap, yet communicate from a united front.
Negotiation
You’ve reached the final stage of the process. Here’s what to avoid to ensure you cross the finish line together.
Fall-out reason #1
Salary and benefit expectations weren’t discussed up front.
Solution
Be crystal clear about compensation range from the get-go. While salary isn’t everything, especially to those looking for a better culture, it is a primary motivating factor. Candidates should never be caught off guard by salary by the time an offer is made.
Fall-out reason #2
The candidate experience started off well but ended poorly.
Solution
Keeping candidates engaged means staying engaged yourself. Respect their time, make their application process easy, and hone your interview skills. Around 65% of candidates say a bad interview experience alone makes them lose interest in the job.
Fall-out reason #3
A bad reputation can raise concerns and steer candidates away.
Solution
First, learn all you can about the issues, real or perceived. Read negative reviews, have frank discussions with employees, and formulate a plan with HR and leadership. The sooner you address the issue, the quicker you can alleviate a candidate’s concerns.
Ready to hire?
Learn how LinkedIn can help you improve candidate engagement at every stage of the hiring process.
Learn how LinkedIn Talent Solutions can help you through all stages of the employee lifecycle.
Planning
Make informed talent decisions around diversity, hidden talent pools, and more with real-time data.
Hiring
Get the right people in the door with easy-to-post jobs, smart sourcing, and branding.
Developing
Nurture the people at your company with learning, engagement, and performance tools.
