You Have 24 Hours to Respond to Candidates Before It Could Hurt Your Company

Finding a job is a long process that can take months. Waiting (and waiting) to hear back from employers after applying is another stressor for candidates and an aspect they want to see changed. According to our 2023 What Candidates Want survey, 66.1% of job seekers want to hear back from an employer within 24 hours of applying for a job, following up on an application, or sending other types of correspondence.

Keeping candidates waiting in the lurch is not only inconsiderate, but it can also harm your business. 38.7% of job seekers indicated they would be less likely to interact with a brand in the future if they didn’t hear back on an application, and another 30.7% reported maybe they would follow suit.

Creating a positive candidate experience is important beyond hiring the right person for your job, and that starts with responding to candidates the right way. Here is what your company should do at all stages of the hiring process.

Put Together a Strong Application Acknowledgment Email Template

Applying is time consuming, and job seekers want to know their time wasn’t wasted. A near-unanimous 95.5% of applicants surveyed want employers to acknowledge that their materials were received. It’s likely that you already use a system that automatically triggers an “We’ve received your application” email. Since that email serves as your company’s first interaction with a potential employee, you should make your words count with a strong email template to start the hiring process on the right foot.

If you don’t have automated responses in place, work this step into your hiring process to demonstrate that you appreciate candidates’ time and interest.

Respond to Active Follow-Ups

Almost three-quarters (74.5%) surveyed in the What Candidates Want Report said they follow up on their application “always” (34.5%) or “most of the time” (40%). This correspondence (usually an email) frequently comes within a week of the candidate applying as they want to show they are enthusiastic about your position. The main things they are looking for at this stage is assurance that their application made it through to your inbox and where things stand with the hiring process (Have you decided whom to interview? When will interviews take place? Am I still in the running?). Here’s how to reply to candidate follow-up emails depending on where they sit in your applicant pool:

• Interviews haven’t been scheduled yet: Indicate when you plan to conduct interviews and follow through with it.
• They are getting an interview: State that you are impressed by their application, that you are preparing to schedule interviews, and when they should expect to hear when their turn to interview is.

Be Responsive Following Interviews

It is important to end each interviewee’s candidate experience on a high note. You will likely receive a thank you letter within a day of completing the interview, where the candidate will show appreciation for being chosen for an interview. Even though you may still be conducting interviews with other candidates and not have a final decision made, you should respond.

Be careful on giving specific interview feedback, whether it’s positive or negative. A simple thank you response along with an update on the hiring process and the anticipated timeline of when you will make your final hiring decision is sufficient. Even if they aren’t ultimately selected for the role, making an effort at candidate engagement by responding to outreach can leave a lasting impression about your company and potentially keep a strong candidate in your pipeline for a future opening. Additionally, whether an applicant tries to contact you or not, you should always:

Let Candidates Know When They Are Out

A disappointing, yet common result, in a job search is finding out you didn’t get the job. Candidates, however, do not wish to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to bad news as 81.8% of surveyed job seekers stated they want to know when they are disqualified from the search. Ideally, your organization should let candidates who are out of the running know quickly with a well-crafted email. While delivering the news is not a pleasant task, it is one that job seekers appreciate when handled the right way.

By forming a plan to improve the candidate experience from the moment they apply to wherever their journey ends, you will maintain (or improve) your brand reputation and potentially create a pipeline of future employees besides the one you ultimately hire. For more hiring advice, visit our resource center.