Strong communication is key to delivering a positive candidate experience and ultimately building a successful recruitment strategy. And regardless of the existence of different job advertising platforms and the increasing role of social media in recruitment, email continues to play a significant role in the process.
Email remains an excellent platform for recruiters to connect prospective candidates during every stage of the recruitment process. In the article, we are going to convert reasons why they should dedicate their efforts to creating compelling recruiting emails.
Definition and key benefits of recruiting email
Emails that recruiters send to candidates aim to establish a positive relationship with them and, ultimately, achieve effective candidate sourcing.
As recruiting trends are changing, recruiters need to reach out to talents and not wait for them to submit job offers. They should keep in mind that people spend an average of 2.5 hours on checking their inboxes during the workday. And for this matter, using email as a medium delivers the following benefits:
✓ Connect with candidates directly
Using email to reach out to candidates allows recruiters to be more personal in their message compared to other recruitment channels.
✓ Reach out to many potential candidates
Another benefit of using emails is that it lets you reach many more candidates than other job advertising platforms.
✓ It has high ROI
Advertising on job boards and creating social media campaigns are far more expensive than emails. Besides being a cost-effective tactic, email also has high efficiency as it helps to reach and attract great talents.
There are several occasions when in-house or agency recruiters choose to contact their potential candidates via email and use the advantages of this type of email to accomplish recruiting goals. First and foremost, they send emails to announce open job positions and encourage candidates to apply.
Recruiters also send emails to invite interested candidates who are qualified for a particular job position to an interview. It’s also common practice to send referral emails in case recruiters consider attracting talents via referral programs.
Six ways to create recruiting email and win a talent
After speaking about the benefits of recruiting email, in the next stage, we are going to give several tips on how to make compelling recruiting messages that attract perfect candidates.
Research candidate persona
The main step that a recruiter should take before writing emails is researching candidates. Only by collecting vital information about candidates can you find people who will be successful in the role you are looking to fill. Moreover, researching can help to make job offers attractive for great talents.
The process starts with defining the candidate’s persona, which presents ideal job candidates’ characteristics and preferences. The next step is researching candidates and collecting valuable data about them.
Start the process of researching which social media platforms. The important rule is to find channels the potential candidate is active on and define which is relevant for your job opening. In that matter, as the greatest professional network, LinkedIn is the greatest solution for professional roles, while Instagram can be helpful for filling in creative roles.
In the next part, analyze the social media profile formation, including the bio of potential candidates, to gain insight into their interests and values and help discover prospective employees’ career paths. It will give an idea of how you can contribute to their professional growth by offering them a great job opportunity.
Another beneficial tactic is to find candidates’ portfolios on different platforms. Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and Behance give an excellent opportunity to portfolios and discover candidates’ skills and experience. Only after reassessing potential candidates can you start writing a compelling message that will convince them to consider taking a job offer.
Write a compelling subject line
When starting to create your recruiting message, one of the main steps you need to follow is to write a compelling subject line. It is the first thing that candidates see when opening their inboxes; it’s crucial to hook potential candidates’ attention and convince them to open the email.
A good subject line can be short and punchy. On the other hand, it should include all vital information and highlight the value of the job offer. In that case, preheaders can be helpful, as they provide additional information and grab candidates’ attention.
Another important step is to add urgency to encourage potential candidates to open your email. You could mention that you need to fill the position quickly and try to hire quickly as soon as possible.
Lastly, consider personalizing the subject line by including the recipient’s name or making it relevant for candidates, as study reports prove the open rate of emails with personalized subject lines is 26% higher than not personalized ones. And this takes us to the next point.
Personalize your message
People love to receive emails with a personalized touch because, this way, companies show that they care about email recipients. This is true for creating effective recruiting emails as well, as messages should be relevant for each candidate you’re going to reach out to. Only this way, it’s possible to increase the likelihood of getting a response from the recipient and build meaningful relationships with candidates.
Design your messaging around recruiting emails to the potential candidate’s expectations and add personal touches when possible. Based on the educational institutes they have studied, suggest jobs chosen by their peers from reference and cover letters, as this way shows prospective employees you’ve done your research and are interested to see them in your company.
Therefore, mentioning something specific about candidates’ career paths and skills can be a smart move. Moreover, emphasize why you think their experience and soft skills will make them a good fit for the recruiting position.
Make it mobile optimized
Mobile optimization is crucial for any type of email, including recruiting emails. It’s more common for users to open their emails on a mobile device rather than a desktop computer. And optimizing your emails for mobile can increase the efficiency of your email recruiting efforts.
Consider using larger font sizes to make it easy for candidates on their smartphones. Pay attention to the size of images and optimize them so they load quickly on mobiles.
Another step is to implement a responsive email design, and this way, you can ensure that the recruiting messages will display properly on both desktop and smaller devices. Lastly, consider previewing your email to guarantee that it looks and functions properly and identify issues and make necessary changes.
Keep in mind your employer brand
While it’s vital that not only your message be tailored to your specific candidate persona, but it should also be consistent and aligned with your employer brand.
Thus when creating a recruiting email, keep in mind your company’s mission, values, culture, and other factors that differentiate your company from others. Establish and follow the specific voice and tone of your employer brand, and you use it in your internal email and other communication channels as well.
Incorporate visual branding elements, such as your logo or color scheme, in your recruiting email. This can help reinforce your brand and make your email more recognizable to candidates.
Be concise
Regardless of the stage in the process, keep your recruiting email templates short to get a response rate. Provide your email leads with only the most essential information to avoid confusing or disengaging the candidate.
Also, it’s important to avoid complex jargon that can confuse potential candidates. Ensure the language is simple, easy to understand, and doesn’t unintentionally intimidate people into thinking your application process will be overly complicated.
Moreover, avoid long paragraphs of text. Be specific about the job title, responsibilities, and qualifications required for the position.
Establish Employee Value Proposition
Establishing an employee value proposition is a key factor that can encourage professionals to choose your company over competitors. This will help to attract the greatest talent by communicating the unique benefits and rewards you suggest to future employees.
✓Highlight your unique selling points
Emphasize the main factors that differentiate an employer from other companies. It can be company culture, work environment, or exciting career development opportunities. Thus, don’t hesitate to include perks or benefits in your recruiting email.
✓Share testimonials or employee stories
Sharing testimonials and employee stories can present and showcase the advantages of being part of your company and, this way, encourage candidates to join your team.
✓Communicate specific benefits and perks
Don’t hesitate to include in your messages the competitive compensation that you offer. It can be health insurance, a supportive and positive team environment, and possibilities for professional growth. In the research stage, define what your potential candidates are looking for.
To sum up
Great talent can help your business to reach a higher level. In the process of attracting them, you may consider creating a recruiting email. In this article, not only do we give the definition of what it is, but we also indicate the main factors it should include in improving your recruiting efforts. And following our suggestions, you can win the perfect candidate and build solid relationships with them.
