Automated engagement: Creating consumer-grade candidate experiences

We self-schedule dinner reservations online, get automated reminders of prescriptions ready for pick-up, and have questions answered daily by simply saying “Hey, Alexa.” Yet, many hiring teams fear automating parts of the recruitment process will negatively impact candidates because it can be perceived as less personal.  

Here’s something that should reverse your worry: Companies using chatbots are actually 3X more likely to improve the candidate experience. The reality is today’s candidates are digital-first and demand consumer-like engagement. 

At HireVue, our virtual hiring assistant exchanges over 1M candidate messages each week through text, WhatsApp and web chat, so we know a thing or two about automated engagement. Here are a few steps you can automate to deliver a consumer-grade candidate experience - The kind that makes you think “that was fast,” not saying “speak to representative.”

1. The job search 

When trying to defy a talent shortage, you need to remove any roadblocks that prevent talent from moving forward in your hiring process, or getting to the application in the first place. According to Kelton Global, 86% of active job seekers use their smartphones to begin a job search, so having a text-based solution is vital. 

Text to apply is the new standard; QR codes on fitting room doors and “We’re Hiring” signs in drive-through lines are proving to be a quick way to turn customers into candidates. 

With conversational AI powering those conversations, candidates can quickly be matched with a best-fit role and move to appropriate next steps.

2. Prescreening and FAQs 

Basic knockout questions are also a great opportunity to utilize chat-based automation. This looks different for many roles, but common use cases are checking if candidate availability matches with shift needs and confirming they are legally eligible for the job. In hiring, being respectful of candidate time is hugely important for a positive experience, so collecting this information upfront can save everyone time. 

Likewise, if candidates have common questions like “what are the benefits?” and “how is the company culture?” - they can get answers right away.

3. Scheduling 

Scheduling is an obvious opportunity for automation. For candidates, this is a form of automation that is incredibly familiar. From dinner reservations to dentist appointments, it’s easy to pick from a list of all available options and select what works best. So much time is wasted piecing calendars together and rescheduling when the inevitable pops up vs. picking the ideal time from the start and rescheduling instantly when necessary.

Plus, eliminating the scheduling back and forth is an easy way to chop days off your time to hire, and everyone loves a faster time to hire.

4. Reminders and continuous engagement

Lastly, we all like being kept in the loop. Automated reminders about upcoming interviews and next steps are also part of a consumer-grade hiring process. Digital assistants can send resources that highlight day-in-the-life content so new hires stay excited from acceptance to their start date, and send check-in surveys to keep the conversations going post-hire. 

When 75% of applicants never hear back after applying for a job, imagine the impact when 100% of your candidates not only get a reply, but continuous engagement. 

It’s not just candidates who benefit from automation, see how hiring teams benefit too.