Conversational software, such as chats and chatbots, are steadily making their way into many areas of our life and business. The human resources and recruitment sector is also adopting conversational tools to provide additional communication channels between recruiters and applicants.
Chatting is becoming increasingly popular due to the various benefits it brings to both sides of communication. In fact, 75% of millennials prefer text messages to voice calls, as they recognize the easiness, non-intrusiveness, and convenience they are getting in chats.
However, for recruiters, chat-based HR recruitment software has other useful benefits that help them increase productivity and efficiency.
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How can recruiters benefit from chat applications for HR hiring?
It takes a lot of time and effort to find the perfect candidate for a vacancy. It may take weeks, if not months, between the initial contact and contract signing. To make recruitment more productive and reduce the time it takes to find and interview the right candidate, businesses implement chat software to empower their HR teams.
Here are five of the most prominent benefits that chat brings to recruitment.
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Proactive contacts with candidates
Today’s talent market has a significant trend of demand being higher than supply. On average, there are 1.4 workers per vacancy which is very low compared to the previous periods and continues to decrease.
In such conditions, candidates seek new jobs less actively. For them, browsing job platforms, filling-in profiles, submitting resumes and portfolios, or even reaching out to recruiters is often too much of an effort.
Thus, to get the job done, recruiters need to take proactive steps to find prospective candidates and make them interested and engaged enough to agree to the first interview, at least. In a chat, contacting candidates is much quicker and easier than by email. Moreover, most chats support presence indicators, so recruiters can message prospective candidates when they are online and can respond immediately.
In a half-dozen instant messages, the recruiter can learn whether the candidate is now open for offers or not and how interested they are in this particular position. The chat is also the place to settle major conditions that can affect decision-making, for example, relocation or working hours. In a chat, the recruiter and candidate can schedule the first online or offline interview discussing convenient time slots.
As a result, recruiters can find and engage candidates much quicker, if they reach them via chat. The shorter the time between the first contact and the interview, the quicker the vacancy can be filled.
Pre-screening of candidates
Hiring is an expensive task. On average, the cost per hire is as high as $4,425. At the same time, recruiters have to contact and often interview lots of applicants who are not fit for the position for various reasons. Depending on the industry, there may be from 25 to 114 applicants per hire.
Chats can help recruiters in the pre-screening of applicants to reduce the amount of work per hire and filter out applications that are clearly not going to convert into hires. In a chat, the recruiter can do a basic evaluation of the applicant’s skills and experience and decide if they fit the job description. In their turn, the applicant can find out the initial details about the job opening, such as the office location or work schedule, and decide whether they suit them or not. If any of the party thinks that the contact is not going to work out, they say goodbye and get back to their usual activities.
In a chat, such pre-screening can be done very quickly, thus saving the valuable time of both the recruiter and the applicant.
Better candidate experience
Candidate experience is as important as customer or employee experience. The way the candidate is treated during their application for a vacancy contributes to shaping the company’s reputation and can influence decision-making. 80-90% of candidates admit that their experience can affect their attitude towards the company or the position they are offered.
As a communication channel, chat is capable of creating the greatest experiences. Recruiters can use chat to reach out to candidates with updates or answer their questions quickly. This way, they show candidates that they value their time, which improves the company’s reputation.
If you need to reject a candidate, you can use chat to do that, too. For most candidates, it is important to know that their application is no longer being considered and that they can explore other career opportunities. However, many applicants are not informed about rejection and view it as unprofessional.
By sending a rejection message in a chat, recruiters can quickly update the candidate on their application status and briefly explain the reason. This way, the company and the candidate remain on good terms and can resume communication later when a different opportunity presents itself.
More effective interview scheduling
Being an instant messaging tool, chat is a great channel for scheduling meetings and interviews. If a candidate interview involves several people from different teams, it may be challenging to find a time slot that is suitable for everyone. The recruiter then needs to confirm the slot with the candidate, too.
Now, the open rate of emails is about 33%, while for messenger apps it is as high as 80%. The chance of confirming the meeting immediately is much higher in the chat than by email. By the time the applicant opens the email and responds, the slot may be no longer available.
Similarly, chat is a great channel to reschedule meetings quickly. The real-time communication it enables reduces the time needed to confirm a new slot to the minimum.
Candidate engagement
When the company starts communicating with the candidate in a chat, it shows that the company is technologically advanced, it adopts effective tools to optimize its ways of working, and it respects the candidate and their time. For the candidate, these factors may add to the engagement with the company and increase their willingness to work there.
This way, the candidate is more open to further discussions and might be more likely to accept the offer. The positive experience that they get from the very first contact with a company representative may tip the scales at the end of the day.
AI chatbots for HR hiring
In addition to live chat with a human agent, recent advances in generative AI means that chatbots in HR recruitment are beginning to revolutionize the hiring process. These AI-powered virtual assistants streamline candidate interactions, providing quick responses to inquiries, scheduling interviews, and even conducting initial candidate assessments. They offer a seamless and personalized experience for job seekers, enhancing engagement and speeding up the recruitment cycle. Moreover, chatbots can work around the clock, ensuring that no candidate is left waiting. By automating routine tasks, HR professionals can focus on strategic decision-making, ultimately leading to more efficient and effective hiring processes.
How can QuickBlox help?
QuickBlox offers a complete solution allowing you to add chat features to your company website or recruitment platform. QuickBlox’s chat solution is fully secure so that you can use it in any industry that is subject to special requirements for user data privacy.
Moreover, QuickBlox has also developed their own remote consultation app, Q-Consultation, especially designed for the needs of HR and recruitment. It can be used as a stand‑alone app or embedded into your existing HR software or website to enable real‑time chat, voice and video calling, and has recently been updated with stunning new AI features including an in-app AI smartchat assistant. Contact us, to learn more!
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