The OfferZen marketplace is a great way to ensure that your talent pipeline stays full, but it’s still easy to miss out on good candidates in a competitive market. Here are our top tips for getting the most out of your sourcing efforts on OfferZen, by focusing on the candidate experience throughout your hiring process.
Move fast
A new batch of candidates will go live on OfferZen every Monday. Candidates are only visible to companies on OfferZen for a limited time – 4 weeks in South Africa and 6 weeks in Europe. Some candidates will have multiple companies reaching out to them, too, so the easiest way to attract the interest of a candidate you really like is to:
Reach out to candidates early in the week.
Schedule interviews with candidates through the OfferZen calendar feature as soon as possible once they’ve accepted your request. If you sync your calendar with OfferZen and send the candidate time slots to choose from, you can fast-track this process.
Plan the next round of interviews as soon as you know the candidate will be progressing.
Keep candidates in the loop
If a candidate feels unsure about where they stand in your hiring process, they are more likely to accept an offer from another company.
We’ve noticed that companies who consistently update their candidates tend to have a much lower drop-out/withdrawal rate.
Keeping your Account Manager updated also makes it easier for us to help when needed. Alternatively, you can make us of our ATS, or connect your preferred ATS to help keep everyone on the same page.
You can also outline your hiring process in your company profile and explain to them what next steps look like when they have their first call with you – this lets them know what to expect from the beginning without the need to constantly update on your part.
If you like a candidate, let them know
Letting a candidate know that you're excited about their application is a great way to get the candidate excited about working at your company. It also allows you to know exactly where you stand. If you learn that the candidate has some reservations, this is a great opportunity to dig into those concerns and clear them up right from the start.
If the candidate fits the requirements but their salary expectations are outside your budget, reach out anyway and be upfront about this. Focus on why you think they’re a great fit, and why you think it’s a good opportunity for them to learn and grow. If a candidate is excited about a job, they may be willing to negotiate on salary.
This way, expectations are managed for both you and the candidate right from the start, saving time and extra work.
Have pre-offer calls with candidates
Calling a candidate before you send them an offer letter can help ensure there are no surprises for them or for you. You can also iron out the start date and salary before the official letter is sent.
Pre-offer calls also provide an opportunity for you to gather crucial information. You can learn more about competing companies the candidate is interviewing with and how they compare to your company. You can also learn how the candidate feels about your company, and find out what would be a dealbreaker for them.
Give candidates constructive feedback
Reach out to a candidate the second a decision to reject them has been made. Leaving them hanging results in a bad candidate experience.
When declining a candidate, be sure to give them constructive feedback. It helps them better understand why they weren’t a good fit, and gives them improvement areas to help them with future interviews. Remember: Clear is kind.
Being clear about your reason for the rejection also helps your Account Manager track your progress and know whether anything in your hiring process can be improved to reduce your rejection rate, which benefits you long-term.