How to encourage candidate commitment during the selection process

As early as the recruitment process, you can already do something that can encourage candidate commitment. “Commitment to what?” you might ask. It can apply to the role, company, or career in general.

Before, it might be expected that, once a person applies, he/she will wholeheartedly join the company once accepted. However, times are evolving. It’s not uncommon nowadays to hear people having a fear of commitment when it comes to their careers. It can be in the forms of:

• Unwillingness to commit to a contract period
• Not pushing through with the application because they found something better
• Not showing up on the interview because of lack of motivation
• Fear of making a career decision
• … and others

It’s true that you should focus only on those that are truly eager in their job pursuit, but you also have to learn to encourage commitment to everyone as a recruiter. Not only will this increase your application rate, but it will also give you the opportunity to meet top talents that can bring a positive impact on your organization.

Whether you are recruiting for your company or staffing agency, here are 9 essential ways to spur candidates in their application:

9 Essential Ways to Encourage Commitment during the Selection Process

Learn more about the different types of candidates

First and foremost, understand your market. You won’t be able to grab their attention and inspire them if you don’t know what motivates them.

For example, there are different generations. According to researcher Jason Dorsey:

• Generation Z (Gen Z) are those who were born in the digital era.
• Years: 1996 - Present
• “Millennials”, or Generation Y (Gen Y) are those that experienced the emergence of technological advancement.
• Years: 1977 - 1995
• Generation X (Gen X) are those that value the traditional methods more. However, this is when personal computing was introduced. Most of the tech behemoth founders are in this generation.
• Years: 1965 - 1976

You have to understand that they have different motivations and ways of thinking. Their lifestyles are completely different.

If you want to attract Gen Z talent, you have to ensure that your office is dynamic, flexible, and has a healthy work culture. For Gen X, these people are mostly looking at the benefits that come with the work. If they find it rewarding, you’ll likely keep them enticed.

Have a strong branding 

After that research, be sure to strengthen your employer branding on all your platforms. Why? Because this can be your ticket to a formidable candidate commitment and employee loyalty.

If you position yourself well enough to show how healthy your company culture is, how great it is working for your organization (awards, recognitions, etc.), and how well-compensated employees are, the applicants would want to be a part of it.

With the rise of SEO and all the search engines, it’s easy for anyone to research your company. What they should see are good reasons to be in your team and positive reviews from current staff, clients, etc.

The latter, especially, would be helpful because “88% of people had the highest level of trust in a brand when a friend or family member recommended it” according to Semrush.

(RELATED: Learn how to improve your company culture to attract great candidates here)

Communicate consistently

Of course, it would also help if you communicate consistently with applicants. Once they applied, send an email on how you received the application and tell them what the next steps are.

You can also give them a call for an initial interview before proceeding with anything. When they are in touch with you and have spoken to them in person, a relationship will be established and will more likely prevent application drops.

Once they are finished with an interview, send a “thank you” email and state that you will be in contact with them once a decision has been made.

It would also be wise to send even a rejection letter. Just because they were not a fit today does not mean that they won’t apply again. If you give an impression that you are professional and don’t leave them hanging, there’s a good chance that your employer branding would be bolstered.

Use social media

Don’t forget to utilize social media in your recruiting efforts, too. Websites like LinkedIn can be essential to encourage candidate commitment.

For instance, LinkedIn has an “InMail” feature where you can contact individuals directly. This will make your messages seem more personalized and not sent out to the mass. They will feel special and value what you’re saying more.

Approach candidates with care 

To that end, you should not forget to approach them carefully, especially if face-to-face. Did you know that 95% of professionals think it’s vital for long-term success?

 Don’t appear strict or unfriendly. Make your tone warm so that they will feel welcome in your company. You are the first person in the organization that they will talk to. What impression you give them will reflect on the entire company. Be courteous and always be ready to address their concerns, if any.

Otherwise, you might lose interest and they might not feel motivated to continue their application. We don’t want that to happen!

Add value to the recruitment process

This is a good way to encourage candidate commitment that you might be neglecting. Add value or perks in their application as early as the sourcing process.

A great example of this would be giving out free webinars or online modules to help them in their field. It can also be as simple as a guide on how to do better in an interview.

Providing the resources to hone their skills will yield better results for all. For the candidate, they develop their skills and feel like you have much to offer them in terms of growth. For the recruiter and the company, you will have well-equipped talent ready to join the team.

It’s easy to do this if you have your own career page or you can simply provide links in your email.

(MUST READ: 4 guidelines to help you build an excellent career page)

Ask the right interview questions

We wrote a guide on some interview questions that you can ask to determine an applicant’s level of commitment and motivation. You can view them here.

You can ask simple questions like:

• What do you want to work with us?
• What do you hope to achieve in life?
• What goals have you set for life? Can be personal goals, career goals, etc.
• What motivates you to work?
• What is your definition of success?
• Do you think that the people around you affect your level of motivation?
• How do you deal with challenges?
• How do you cope with failures?

However, you can also delve deeper and provide real-life situations where they can expound on what they’ll do in that scenario.

Basically, this goes beyond what is written on their CV. Such intangible traits will be revealed and allow you to make a more informed hiring decision on whether or not the job seeker will be an excellent addition to the team.

Compensate candidates accordingly

Arguably one of the most important ways of all is to compensate them accordingly. If their skills and experience warrant them to a higher salary, don’t hesitate. A lot of companies are fighting over top talents. If you fail to meet a rate that satisfies them, you will risk losing a valuable asset.

Don’t skimp on the employee benefits packages, too. The little things from dental care or free lunch in the office every Friday to something more serious like overtime pay or health care matter. You’ll be surprised that 80% of professionals prefer better benefits than higher salaries as written in this research.

Prove how equally committed you are

Lastly, if you want them to be committed to your company, then you should be an example yourself. As a recruiter, be equally determined in getting them on board by following the steps above and going beyond.

Every company works differently and approaches are different. You know your market better and you will be able to find solutions that will lead to stronger candidate commitment and employee loyalty.

Now that you’ve learned the 8 important ways to boost applications, it’s time to start sourcing! Use our AI-driven Applicant Tracking System (ATS) so you can get quality hires better and faster.

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