3 ways to make sure your volume recruitment campaign succeeds
Our clients use the Shine platform to assist with their recruitment drives; no matter how big or small. This could be for a position that needs to be filled by the end of the month or for a higher volume campaign such as a Graduate programme for next year’s intake.
Both types of recruitment campaigns need thorough planning and organisation, but it is the volume campaigns that need more than this. You are dealing with large amounts of candidates, who will all have different levels of expectations so it is most important to set these clear from the start and above all keep the candidates at the forefront of your mind through the entire process from first application to final steps.
In our experience, if you stick to the 3 points we have identified below, then you can’t go far wrong:
Communication is key
Explaining to candidates the process is one of, if not ‘the’, most important piece of advice we can give. Upon applying, they should know what the first stage of the process is, and when they should expect it.
- Will they receive an email?
- Who will it be from?
- How long will they have to complete?
These are all examples of questions that you should try to answer when thinking about your communications strategy. Candidates should be informed of each step and don’t forget to say how long the whole process will take. If all successful candidates need to attend an all day interview as a final stage then let them know this upfront. This is beneficial both ways as all candidates who get to this stage will be ready to interview, rather than you surprising them with this detail and having lots of drop outs from those who don’t want to interview, or are away etc. In addition to all of the above, think about details for those that are not successful and how will they be notified?
Communicating the process will above all help you as a recruiter, as candidates will be well informed from the start and not likely to email asking for an update on their application and the whole process with be both professional and streamlined. In an age when negative feedback can gain momentum via social media online, communicating clearly and with compassion is more important than ever.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
Being organised from the beginning makes it so much easier to stay that way. Clients that we work with often draw out on paper, (or a whiteboard – wherever they can!) their volume recruitment campaigns from start to finish. Marking on this plan the mass communication points allows you to think about the different touchpoints and how this will look from a candidate point of view. If the first email is going to ask them to complete a video interview, for example, the candidate should know when to expect this from applying and also what the next step will be.
Be adaptable
As with everything, sometimes the best laid plans just don’t come off. Different volume campaigns require difference approaches. Recruiters need to adapt in the same way that candidates adapt. If you find a good way of working for a particular volume campaign and try to apply this to another volume campaign and it doesn’t work, then be adaptable and change. Dealing with different types of candidates and different volume campaigns means that there isn’t going to be one approach that suits all. The most important thing is that you, as a recruiter, can adapt and change processes to fit when needed.
If you would like to talk to us about your volume recruitment campaigns then please don’t hesitate to get in touch!