Finding the right people for the right role is always a challenge, but it’s more difficult than ever. With an unprecedented 75% of American companies having issues securing talent even in 2023, you need to find a way to differentiate yourself from your competition. One way to do this is through having an effective recruitment communication strategy.
But where should you start? We’ll discuss why recruitment communication matters and the best practices for implementing it.
Recruitment communication has one key purpose: connecting employers with potential employees.
Having a good strategy in place ensures that job seekers understand what a job is all about, what skills are needed, and what the company culture is like. This information is key to helping potential candidates decide if they’re a good fit for the company. It also helps employers attract candidates at the right intersection of skills and personality – the better your communication, the more accurately people should self-select before applying.
As you’ll know, recruitment can be a lengthy and expensive process, especially if you’re struggling to find the right people. Having clear communication makes sure that you’re reaching the audience you need. This can reduce costs, as well as the overall time to hire. Plus, if your applicants have a clear idea of what the role and your company is like from the moment they apply, they’re more likely to accept any offers you make.
10 Best Practices for Recruitment Communication
But how do you make sure your communication is top-notch? Let’s take a look at some of the best practices you should be following.
1. Write Clear Job Descriptions
Making the job details crystal clear is the first tip for effective recruitment communication. Whether on job boards, via email newsletters, or on social media, a comprehensive job description should accompany all job postings.
Potential candidates should come away from the advert knowing what the job requires, what they’ll be doing, and how to apply. After all, if you’re describing a job as tech support when it secretly has a large sales element, people who find out during the interview process will simply withdraw – wasting their time, and yours.
The more accurately you communicate the job description, the better your chance of finding the perfect match for the job.
2. Use Multiple Channels
Today’s candidates do more than just check traditional boards for job opportunities, so using different messaging channels is a must.
According to CareerArc’s 2021 Future of Recruiting Study, 86% of candidates use social media to look for new opportunities and are more likely to engage with job-related content on these platforms. It’s not enough to simply cross-post the same advert to multiple platforms, however. You need to make sure it’s suited to the channel. So, an Instagram advert needs to have the key information in an image, while a post on Twitter/X needs to be snappy and text-focused.
Leveraging multiple channels ensures your message reaches more ears and eyes, increasing the chances of connecting with the perfect candidates.
3. Have Consistent Branding
Keep your employer brand distinct, recognizable, and uniform across all recruitment communication channels! When talking about your company and job opportunities, make sure it looks and feels the same everywhere—whether on social media, emails, webinars, or live events.
Job seekers can easily recognize and remember your brand when your company’s style and message stay consistent. Think of it like building a familiar and friendly personality for your company, making it stand out in a good way.
4. Give Timely Responses
Don’t leave people hanging! When someone reaches out about a job, get back to them as soon as possible. It doesn’t need to be a decision on whether to progress – a simple acknowledgement shows that you heard them.
Keeping the communication swift and friendly helps create a good candidate experience. Just like in everyday conversations, being responsive keeps things smooth and positive. Doing this shows that you care about their time and effort.
It’s worth localizing your communication strategy, especially if you’re a global company. For instance, if your head office is in London in the UK and you’re specifically targeting candidates in the East Bay or California, your support line should use area code 510 and be available at reasonable hours in that time zone.
5. Be Transparent About the Culture
Be upfront about what makes your company tick. Share what your team believes in and the kind of work environment they enjoy. Don’t use cliches like ‘we work hard and play hard’ – be open about what makes you unique.
A distinct workplace culture helps potential candidates determine if they’ll be comfortable in that work environment. This aspect of recruitment communication lets the candidate in on what it feels like to be part of the team.
You can do this through:
Videos from current employees discussing their experience with the company
Encouraging employee reviews on platforms like Indeed and addressing any bad ones
Create content highlighting your workplace’s day-to-day atmosphere, team interactions, and company events.
Have a social media presence
Host potential candidates. Let them explore the office space and get a feel for the work environment
A good example is how Buffer does it. Kristi’s article goes into depth about the process and it’s clear that she knew what to expect at every stage of the interview process, was able to discuss salary expectations openly, and felt informed at every stage of the interview.
Buffer also creates content spotlighting the work culture, making it simpler for candidates like Kristi to make a decision.
6. Embrace an Easy Application Process
Think of it like a highway—you want candidates to get to you without any roadblocks. So, keep the application process simple and give clear instructions.
Applicants should understand exactly what is needed from them at every stage, and it should be easy to achieve. That means no auto-timeout forms without a save function, and a dedicated support email in case of questions.
One common complaint from applicants is how many companies still require candidates to share their resumes and then manually input their work experience and educational qualifications. This complicates the process, and increases the chances of good candidates simply abandoning their application out of frustration.
If you’re wondering how to smooth out the overall process, consider adopting artificial intelligence in your recruitment strategy. Not only can it help with tracking applications and shortlisting candidates, AI software can also be a digital admission tool. With it, you can automate announcements, send out crucial information, and ensure every candidate is always in the know.
7. Set Realistic Expectations
When discussing a job, being honest about what to expect is important. You want applicants to know exactly what the job involves, what chances for growth exist, and any challenges that might come up. For instance, if you require them to be active within the 726 area code Texas, state this in your advertisement – there’s no point interviewing people who can’t meet that criteria, after all!
Being upfront about it ensures your brand’s offer matches what folks are looking for, making the whole experience better for everyone. It’s like setting the stage so everyone’s on the same page from the beginning, and that’s the way to build trust through communication in the early stages of the recruitment process.
8. Use Employee Testimonials
When you operate a great company with a fantastic working environment, employees can be brand ambassadors willing to talk about how happy they are to work with your company. Make sure to use this to your advantage!
This can be done in advance of, and during the recruitment process. To start with, get some employees to talk—it can be short videos or blog articles—about their experience working at your company.
By sharing these stories, you’re giving credibility to the information about what it’s like to work for your company. You’re letting your team’s real experiences do the talking. It builds initial trust and gives applicants a sneak peek into what it’s like to be part of the organization.
During the interview stage, you may give prospective employees tours. By encouraging them to talk to your current staff – especially without you hovering over them – they’ll be able to see what a great workplace it is, increasing the chance of them accepting any offers you make.
9. Provide Post-Interview Feedback
Communication with candidates should continue even after the recruitment process is complete—whether or not they get hired.
This not only contributes to their growth in the professional realm but also solidifies a favorable image for your company. Giving constructive insights post-interview demonstrates transparency and respect for the candidate’s efforts, fostering a sense of partnership.
This practice helps candidates understand areas of improvement and leaves them with a positive impression, regardless of the outcome.
Ultimately, it’s a win-win. You’ll be supporting individual development while enhancing your company’s reputation as an employer that values communication and integrity.
10. Improve Communication Continuously
Recruitment communication isn’t something you fix once. Instead, you should focus on improving it over time by using analytics tools to measure your impact and fix deficiencies in your communication strategy.
Ask for feedback from candidates who have passed through the recruitment pipeline and see how well things work. If something needs to be fixed, figure out how to improve it. Keep doing this regularly to ensure you always get the best people for the job.
And when you do employ your people, ask the hired candidates how to improve the hiring process and implement some of their ideas for future hiring.
Find The Right Talent with Effective Communication
As a hiring manager, you must go beyond the norm to attract and retain the best talents. Some of the best practices of recruitment communication we have discussed in this piece will help you distinguish yourself from the park.
Remember: be transparent, have reasonable expectations, and treat candidates with the respect they deserve. By following these three tenets in any communication, you should be able to catch – and keep – prospective employees’ attention.
