5 Tips for Successful Candidate Communication

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With over 1.5 billion active users connecting in this casual and private environment, the introduction of the WhatsApp Business Messaging API allows businesses to engage with their candidates in the same intimate manner. You can have great, real-time conversations with your applicants — if you do so by keeping the below conversational best practices in mind.

1. Answer candidate inquiries within 24 hours

WhatsApp offers a standard 24 hour ‘customer care’ window, which means businesses don’t have to get charged extra for answering candidates during this timeframe — and naturally, responding quickly to inquiries is simply a standard of better brand image and candidate experience. According to a candidate experience study carried out by the Talkpush Conversation Design team, the number #1 complaint candidates have about the recruitment process is a delay in following up, with most expecting an answer about the status of their application within 24 hours.

With Talkpush CRM’s quick replies, recruiters also have the option to use answer templates that save time and energy.

2.  Use chatbots for speedy answers

According to our research, 94% of all candidate inquiries are repeated, and could easily be answered with a chatbot. Talkpush’s Whatsapp integration also means you get a dedicated chatbot that serves as an extension of your brand, and can automate the pre-screening process for job campaigns linked to your account, respond in real-time to up to 30 candidate FAQs, and help candidates submit inquiries to recruiters for follow up. Having an automated recruiter helps raise candidate satisfaction, saving you time and resources so you can concentrate on building great relationships and handling more complex cases.

3. Use notifications consciously

Sending too many, or irrelevant messages are a big ‘no-no’ on WhatsApp and for good reason. The average user checks WhatsApp more than 23 times a day, which is great for companies wishing to grab their audience’s attention. But that attention can just as easily be lost with a click of a button, as candidates can simply block your number if they feel your messages don’t provide them value.

Get candidates’ consent to receive WhatsApp communication during web form interview

The golden rule for businesses is to only use WhatsApp to connect to known candidates or candidates who have consented to receive communication on that channel. With Talkpush, you can now easily set up such “opt in” tokens in your messaging that allow you to capture consent in a candidate-friendly and auditable way.

Treat your candidates’ WhatsApp accounts with respect to maintain a positive brand image and deliver better candidate experiences. With WhatsApp’s “Click to Chat” function, you can also train your recruitment team to use other promotional avenues to entice new and/or prospective candidates to connect with you directly.

4. Don’t spam

WhatsApp is a powerful way to connect with candidates, but don’t abuse this power. WhatsApp has strict guidelines on the types of content allowed to be sent to users, and any account which doesn’t comply will get flagged. Ideally, you should use WhatsApp to communicate with existing engaged candidates about application status, suitable job alerts, announcements, or having one-on-one conversations. But remember, that trust can be broken if any of these best practices are not adhered to, so consistency is key.

5. Get creative with your messaging:

Another interesting observation we discovered in our research is candidates are twice as likely to use emojis when chatting over WhatsApp than Messenger so your business’s communication - human or chatbot - should be well versed and properly trained to handle those types of inputs.

In addition, because WhatsApp allows multimedia communications, Talkpush’s integration with WhatsApp allows you to send photos, documents, videos, slideshares, and more. Moving beyond a simple text or email, you now have the freedom to be creative with your conversations and make even more engaging candidate connections. Common candidate inquiries could be answered more easily with a more visual medium, like photos, videos, or even a PDF file. This can help your business hire more quickly and efficiently.

For example, if a candidate wants to know what to bring for an interview, instead of going through a series of slow or interrupted conversations via telephone and email, it’s much easier to simply take a photo of their resume or ID with your smartphone and send a quick message via WhatsApp. These multimedia will even get attached on the candidate’s profile in Talkpush CRM so that when they come in for an interview, recruiters will have all the information and context they need ahead of time. Also, instead of just hearing from HR staff members regarding onboarding and orientation, senior management can also send personal welcome voice clips to their new hires before they come for their first day. These conversations give insight on the company’s culture and expectations, and get the new hire excited as they prepare for this opportunity.

WhatsApp also allows you to send footers at the end of your message templates for a more personalized touch.

Want more information on candidate WhatsApp usage? Download this free white paper with insights on how to connect your WhatsApp strategy to multichannel recruitment campaigns and surprising, yet helpful stats! 

The Talkpush WhatsApp Advantage:

If you want to engage with candidates on their preferred channel and tap into a global talent market, incorporating WhatsApp in your communication strategy is an absolute must.

The quickest way to get there is using Talkpush’s WhatsApp integration, because if you are going to thrive in this digital messaging arena, one communication channel is not enough; with our support of SMS, Messenger, web, and WhatsApp support, you can add whatever channel your candidates want and capture all those conversations seamlessly—across channels—to enable truly personal and engaging customer experiences.