Understand these 10 candidate engagement stats to revamp your recruitment drive

They say a place is as good as the people you meet there. So, a workplace is as good as the people you get to work with. And the first touch-base of this experience is the recruitment process. So, no doubt, candidate engagement is vital – for not just attracting the top talent but also retaining them.

Traditionally, hiring managers would post a job on a job board and wait for applicants to get in touch. This not only meant a slow start to the recruitment drive but also a lot of jobs not reaching the right talent pool. With social media, this changed drastically, with over 85 percent of employers relying on social media to find and engage passive job seekers^[1]. When it comes to decision-making, earlier, the ball used to be in the employer’s court, but now over 50% of candidates consider an employer’s reputation to join a company^[2]. It clearly stresses the other aspect of candidate experience, which deals with managing communications inside the workplace.

Candidate engagement is a vital aspect of any recruitment process, as companies are finding out. Irrespective of whether an aspirant finally gets selected or not, it is imperative that they have a good journey throughout the entire process, thereby leaving a positive impression on their minds. At the same time, it helps influence candidates to keep in touch with the company via social channels even if they don’t make it.

In this article, we will look at a few pertinent statistics that indicate why candidate engagement tools and strategies are necessary. But before that, let’s get the basics of candidate engagement clear.

Candidate engagement definition and importance

Candidate engagement is the procedure and the evaluation of consistent communication with a pool of candidates.

The objective at the base level is relationship-building with aspirants throughout every stage of the recruitment process. It also includes measuring how well candidates felt during the same. The importance of candidate engagement lies in boosting the interest of aspirants in the organization, while enhancing overall employer brand value, and building a better pool of candidates for the future.

Some best practices of candidate engagement include swiftly reviewing aspirants, consistent communication with candidates across every stage, prompt timelines and scheduling, offering helpful information about the company to candidates, and garnering feedback on the process.

10 insightful statistics on candidate engagement

We have selected the most impactful and insightful statistics relating to candidate engagement to help HR managers take note and map out a suitable strategy.

71% of candidates do their homework before applying to any organization

According to reports, most aspirants will do their homework on your organization before applying. This means that they will be going through the company website, reviews of employees, and other information online. They will also be looking at your pages on LinkedIn in this regard. You should thus ensure that your company information is updated at all times and that social media posts reflect the company culture.

75% demonstrate positive responses to better job descriptions

A good job description is critical for candidate engagement. 75% of people appreciate descriptions that have more generic and easy-to-understand language without excessively formal and jargon tonality. However, excessively casual descriptions with emoticons and hashtags may create an unprofessional vibe. So, you should aim to strike a balance between formal-informal and informative-engaging job descriptions.

61% of prospects desire compensation data in job descriptions

A mistake that companies often make is leaving out compensation details in their job descriptions. Candidates prefer seeing this information since it may be a driving factor in whether they apply or not. Having a salary figure or range will save a lot of time eventually. Candidates who have to go through the hiring process only to discover that the salary does not meet their desired expectations for the job duties in question leave in bad taste.

67% of candidates prioritize empathy and straightforwardness in DEI messaging

DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is already a key organizational aspect that should not be neglected. Most applicants are used to going through generic messaging on the company’s commitment to diversity. However, they appreciate more action-oriented information and empathy in the same. If you can show the talent pool your emphasis on DEI, then it will naturally make you stand out.

74% of aspirants seek more chances to showcase their work portfolio during hiring

Most aspirants are eager to learn new things from specific job roles and also to apply their knowledge and skills from their experiences and education. Companies should ensure that they give candidates ample opportunities to highlight their skills, knowledge, and prior experience throughout interviews, assessments, and other tasks. This will show them that you are interested in what they have to bring to the table.

48% of people ask for interview timing well in advance for preparation

Aspirants want more time to prepare for interviews. Companies should always help them out with helpful details of the interview aspects, what they can expect, and so on. Transparency in this regard, along with dates and times beforehand, will create a positive impression of the company in the minds of candidates. This also shows that you value their time above everything else. Inform candidates in advance about the timings, dates, the number of interviews, what information they have to provide, which people will be interviewing them, and other details – especially in case of postponement.

52% will continue relationships with companies giving them proper feedback

Irrespective of the outcome of an interview, candidates always desire feedback on their performance. Most aspirants are likely to continue their relationship with the organization if they receive suitable feedback on what was good and what they can improve on. This helps aspirants build better skills for the future while boosting employer branding.

7% of aspirants get phone calls from hiring managers/recruiters on rejections

Along the line of the previous point, there is a need for consistency in the candidate engagement process, as only a few people get phone calls from their hiring managers or recruiters if they are rejected. A personalized message from a hiring manager may also be handy and empathetic in easing the disappointment of the aspirant. This shows that you value the time invested by the candidate in your organization.

49% of new recruits get calls from hiring managers before their starting dates

Upon the acceptance of a job offer by the candidate, they should go through an impeccable onboarding journey. Hiring managers should call new recruits before their starting dates, giving them a chance to ask and get their questions answered, welcoming them to the team, and letting them know what they can expect in their first few days at the company.

82% take the company’s reputation and brand into account prior to applications

There is no limit to what employees may want, but what candidates want before even considering applying for a company – employer’s reputation. It is not only a company that chooses an employee; prospects also choose the companies they wish to apply to. This statistic clearly underscores the need to uphold, showcase, and maintain your brand and overall reputation.

The state of candidate engagement before and after the pandemic

The nature of candidate engagement has evolved throughout the pandemic, with changes in the way recruiters and candidates interact,  and the tools used to attract and retain top talent.

Before the pandemic, in-person interviews were the norm, and candidates were more likely to visit company offices or have telephonic interviews. Once the pandemic hit, social media and virtual communication tools got an unprecedented boost as both candidates and recruiters adapted to the change. The focus shifted to creating engaging virtual experiences for candidates through video interviews, online assessments, and virtual career fairs.

Now as we enter the post-pandemic times, the effect of virtual shift still lingers. Hybrid work models may become more common, and recruiters may need to adapt to new ways of engaging with both remote and in-office workers. Post-pandemic, the recruitment industry may continue to evolve and prioritize flexibility, inclusivity, and leveraging technology to improve the candidate experience.

Takeaways

HR managers have long known that candidate engagement is non-negotiable throughout the hiring process, and the data backs it up. A major point to remember while creating a candidate engagement strategy is to focus on valuing candidates’ time and energy. It also highlights the need for suitable candidate engagement tools to automate communication, scheduling, assessments, and other vital tasks, freeing managers and recruiters to focus on personalization and relationship-building.

If you are looking for a candidate engagement tool, we recommend exploring that powered by AI. AI recruitment tools are comprehensive in nature to help out with various tasks during the entire recruitment drive. Some, like Arya Quantum, go a step beyond with their Artificial Intuition dimension to help make informed decisions at each step. Take a demo to see for yourself how AI hiring tools can help reshape your entire hiring process.

References

[1] https://www.apollotechnical.com/social-media-recruiting-statistics/

[2] https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/most-important-employer-branding-statistics/