Communication with Job Applicants Will Be Crucial to Recruitment

For far too long, job seekers have griped about the “resume black hole” – they apply for a job and never hear back from the employer. In 2021, employers will improve their efforts to communicate with candidates in every step of the recruitment funnel, using automated messaging tools, chatbots, and other features provided by applicant tracking systems (ATS) to correspond with candidates at the top of the funnel, and more personalized, high-touch outreach further down.

With millions of Americans still unemployed – making job searching even more frustrating and emotional – it is vital to be helpful, honest, and human in communications with job applicants.

In the very least, employers must let applicants know when they are no longer in the running for a position – even if it’s through an automated email message. However, as candidates move through the hiring process, employers can get more personal – providing useful information about their company culture, offering tips to prepare for interviews, sharing company videos, sending tokens of appreciation (eGift cards, etc.), and more, to win over top talent.

In addition, many employers now have smaller HR teams to handle the influx of applicants who are trying to find employment after COVID-19 layoffs. Technology around communicating with applicants will be crucial so that employers can handle all those applications. Time and speed to respond after an application is submitted matters, as well as the quality of the message.

By investing in applicant communication tools in 2021, businesses can more easily nurture and engage their applicants, and create a positive candidate experience. In turn, this strengthens employer brands to make recruiting and retaining employees even easier. In fact, iHire is working on bringing new messaging tools and templates to our platform in 2021 to simplify candidate communication.