In today’s digital world, candidates expect personalized experiences, not unlike e-commerce sites such as Amazon. Access to the most relevant jobs, answers to their most pressing questions — all should be readily available to candidates, wherever they are in the application process. But how can recruiters and talent acquisition (TA) teams competitively attract and convert top talent? 

One of the critical answers lies in conversational recruitment. To capture the ever-fleeting attention of candidates, recruiters must embrace on-demand, two-way communication via various online channels like live chat, text, email, video, and AI-powered chatbots.

Not only does this enable you to efficiently hire more of the right talent, but it also future-proofs your recruitment strategy. Here are 4 key benefits of conversational recruiting:

1. Boost communication with candidates: Surveys of job seekers reveal their top request is “more communication.” However, only 2% of companies communicate application status throughout the whole process. As you talk to candidates in real-time via text message, email, messaging apps, social media, etc., you’re able to keep candidates in the loop throughout their journey. Technology like chatbots also allows candidates to get more answers to questions faster, without having to scale your TA team. Instead of limiting communication to an 8-hour window, chatbots make it possible to communicate with candidates 24/7. This gives candidates access to information that wasn’t readily available before.
2. Access more data: With artificial intelligence (AI) powering your recruiting technology, you gain a new way to aggregate information and track the performance of your efforts. Interested in understanding common questions asked by candidates? All candidate communications are stored within a database, which can be reviewed to ensure you’re providing accurate, consistent answers. More data also means a more personalized candidate experience. When a chatbot learns about a candidate’s skills and experience, for example, it can use that information to personalize the career site with tailored job recommendations and build candidate profiles to strengthen talent pools. 
3. Expand the talent pipeline: Traditionally, recruiters could only access information about a candidate after they’ve applied for a job. With a chatbot, you can start collecting data from passive visitors browsing your career site. Not only does this give you access to a new group of candidates, you gain vital information that makes it easier for you to engage in more meaningful ways. Use this data to create more personalized experiences, like targeted email campaigns. Emails to smaller segments of candidates, for example, are much more effective than blasting your entire database at once. As you send emails with information most relevant to them, you’re able to increase engagement and create a more positive sentiment with your brand. 
4. Improve recruiter efficiency: Platforms that allow for emailing and texting candidates should not only deliver bigger and better data, they should also collect it asynchronously. The moment a candidate uploads their resume onto your career site, that information is immediately stored in a unique profile. And when it comes time to schedule an interview, candidates can interact with a chatbot or automated text campaign to immediately confirm a date. Considering 56% of recruiters dedicate more than a full workday to scheduling interviews, imagine the impact this could have on your team’s productivity. No more back-and-forth or managing multiple systems to ensure everything is updated. It’s all done for you, giving you more time to work on other tasks.

Future-proof your recruitment strategy

There’s no denying conversational recruiting is the future, but it’s about creating an enhanced experience for candidates. Technology like chatbots and automated text is only the beginning. While they might not be for everyone, they’re setting the foundation for the future of voice. 

Given the largest segment of the U.S. workforce now consists of Millennials, and Generation Z is not far behind, it’s essential to prepare for the next big leap. Younger generations are already used to talking to voice assistants to get information, and they’re only going to expect that interactivity in more settings. Companies that invest in these tools today are not only increasing the number of applicant conversions without increasing staffing, they’re also investing in technology that will pave the way towards the future.