How to Increase Candidate Engagement Rates by 18%

Savvy employers know that candidate engagement is vital. It keeps the best applicants interested in a vacancy. It also gives unsuccessful candidates a good experience of your brand. But how do you improve candidate engagement rates while boosting employer branding?

Reminding candidates of video interview deadlines by SMS has serious advantages. It has been proven to increase Shortlister video interview engagement rates by 18%. Shortlister research further reveals that 54% of businesses using its video interviews also use SMS. Is your organisation one of them?

Why not utilise SMS to push candidate engagement and increase awareness of your brand?

Using SMS to increase candidate engagement

Interview dropout rates are higher in organisations that fail to engage with candidates. Global statistics show that the highest number of dropouts occur before an interview takes place. It makes sense to target candidate engagement in the period before interviews are conducted. SMS is the quick, easy and cost-effective way to stay connected with people interested in your brand. 

Shortlister keeps candidates engaged throughout the recruitment process. However, some applicants need an extra bit of encouragement. That is why Shortlister does not rely on email messages alone. It is encouraging employers to embrace the idea of sending text reminders 24 hours before video interview deadlines. Why?

These industry statistic highlight how useful SMS can be in driving candidate engagement:

•      The average person checks their phone 150 times a day
•      Almost 80% of mobile phone owners have their phones with them 22 hours a day
•      98% of text messages are read, compared to just 22% of emails
•      People are likely to read a text message within seconds of receiving it
•      The click through rates for SMS are considerably higher than email – 19%, compared to 4.2%
•      SMS engagement rates are up to 8 times greater than email
•      Text messages are more discreet than emails

SMS candidate engagement made easy 

Shortlister’s approach to SMS has increased engagement rates by 18%. That statistic is backed up by its own research. Its database was key to identifying the trend. It illustrated how the simple text message, when strategically applied, is a powerful driver of engagement.

Adding SMS to your candidate engagement strategy is straightforward. In fact, with Shortlister, it is part of the service. 

How does it work?

First, check that your SMS reminders are enabled by getting in touch with your Customer Success Manager. Note: there is no additional cost for applying SMS reminders to Shortlister interviews.

Once you have enabled text messages, ensure you have added candidates’ mobile phone numbers on the platform. That’s it. An SMS reminder will be sent to applicants 24 hours before their video deadline expires.

Using SMS to boost employer branding

Employer branding is important in the context of interviews. Giving candidates a good experience of your brand will make them fans - whether they end up working for you or not. Getting a text message from a brand – your brand – will help people form a personal connection with your business. It shows them you care while giving you an opportunity to promote your organisation.