6 Tips to Maximize Your CRM & Engage More Candidates

As we all know, the job market is as competitive as it has ever been. There are more open jobs than candidates available, creating a tall task for everyone involved in the Talent Acquisition field.

To help you out, we recently hosted a webinar focusing on 30 tricks to maximize your CRM and engage candidates. All of the tricks are great, but I wanted to highlight 6 of our favorites.

1. Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer.
(Set Up Filters for Your Competitors)

We are all familiar with the famous Godfather line spoken by Marlon Brando, but what can that possibly have to do with your CRM? Well, the answer is quite simple. Set up filters for your competitors in your CRM.

People want to leave roles for any number of reasons, and if some of your competitors’ employees want to leave, who better to work for than you? Think about it: they are already familiar with the industry, probably know a good amount about your organization, and let's face it, we are all better than our competitors, so why wouldn't they want to come work for you? And if you suspect the candidate is under a noncompete clause, set up a reminder to reach out after it has expired in a year or so.

2. Sunscreen or...Candidate Screening?

(Create Screening Question Templates)

Sadly, this trick has nothing to do with the beach, pool, or even sunscreen, but has everything to do with candidate screening. Create candidate screening questions in your CRM that can be added to jobs as they open. Apply them to the application process, or allow your chatbot to ask them so you can save your recruiters from meeting with unqualified candidates.

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Check out: 170+ Screening Questions Your Chatbot Should Know

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3. Everyone Needs a Nosy Neighbor.

(Use Follow-Up Alerts for Lead Interactions)

Contrary to popular belief, everyone needs a nosy neighbor. After all, who will be there to tell you that your plants need to be watered more or that there are new kids on the street playing basketball?

When it comes to your CRM, it’s okay to be a bit nosy as well. Set up follow-up alerts that notify you when your top leads or candidates open an email or log in to your career site. This gives you the opportunity to give them a call or send them a message since they are already actively engaged.

4. Go Back to the Future.

(Set Up Reminders to Check In with Candidates)

Let's take this conversation back to the future. No, we aren’t about to hop into our DeLorean and travel back to 1984. Instead, we are talking about checking in with previous candidates. Specifically, ones who may have been your “silver medalists” or even turned down offers. We never want to burn a bridge, so reach out to these types of candidates in the future: maybe two to three weeks after you shared the unfortunate news or were rejected.

For silver medalists still on the market, ask how their job search is going and share any relevant new roles that you may be working on. This will go a long way in building an advocate, even if they never work at your organization. For candidates who turned down the role, check in to see how their new role is going after their honeymoon period is over. At this point, they will have a good feel for the organization and if they are happy or not, and maybe they are willing to reconsider. By setting up reminders in your CRM to touch base, it will help you build relationships and open up your referral pipeline.

5. I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts...

(Stay In Touch After the Offer!)

If you know anyone in the dating game now, I am sure you have heard of ghosting, which brings us to our next subject. Let’s say you have interviewed a great candidate, extended an offer, and set a start date. However, you are afraid of getting ghosted, meaning the candidate doesn’t show up for their first day. Lucky for you, I ain't afraid of no ghosts, and you shouldn't be either.

The best way to avoid ghosting is to not lose contact with the candidate. Stay in touch. This doesn't mean sending over onboarding paperwork or documentation. Instead, if they are leaving their current position, ask them how their resignation went. Was it received well? If they aren't currently working, ask them what they plan to do before the start date: are they spending time with the family, maybe taking a vacation? Follow up after that and ask how it was. Or, simply wish them a good weekend and say how excited you are to have them start. This will keep them “warm” and help ensure that they show up on the start date. In my opinion, this is not only a great way to convert but also a best practice, which brings me to our final topic.

6. Variety is the Spice of Life.

(Try Different Formats When Communicating with Talent)

A best practice that is constantly overlooked is variety. Variety is the spice of life, and keeps people on their toes and engaged. Now what is the best way to do this? It’s simple: mix up your emails by sending both plain text and HTML format. Don’t be afraid to throw a picture or GIF in your email to make it stand out and give it some personality.

If emails aren’t working, try SMS. It is the most popular way for people to communicate, after all. Also, allows candidates to text on the go. Just remember to have a call-to-action in all of your outreach, giving candidates a next step to follow up with.

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So there you have it: a few tricks to maximize your CRM and engage candidates. Check out our on-demand webinar for even more great tricks to set you a step above your competition. After all, we are in the most competitive job market we have ever seen, and tips or tricks are always helpful!