Once you've generated interest in your opportunities and attracted possible future talent, the next step is to convert these potential applicants into completed hires.

Many companies underestimate the crucial role of their Careers hub at this stage; a seamless and hassle-free applicant experience is far more likely to keep candidates engaged and increase conversion rates.

A user-friendly candidate experience

inploi's 2021 Candidate Survey found that 50% of jobseekers considered an easy application process to be crucial when deciding whether to apply to a role. 48% of jobseekers valued the ability to apply via mobile phone, which is unsurprising given that 71% of respondents said that their preferred device when searching for and applying to jobs was their smartphone.

As such, it's crucial to provide a candidate experience which is mobile user-friendly, with content which displays well on all devices. Otherwise, employers risk alienating a huge chunk of the applicant pool, and might find that they fail to attract top talent.

A seamless, easy-to-navigate interface will also reduce candidate drop-off rates and increase return on investment (ROI). It gives companies a competitive edge, so that they can retain top talent and avoid losing candidates to their competitors.

In a candidates' market, an optimised candidate journey is crucial to any organisation's recruitment process.

Chat bot flows

Companies are increasingly making use of the latest developments in conversational artificial intelligence (AI) to offer an unbeatable candidate experience. Conversational AI harnesses artificial intelligence and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to provide a tool with the power to transform businesses' talent attraction processes.

The benefits of these AI solutions are striking; according to a recent study by Aptitude Research, companies were 3 times more likely to improve candidate experience and twice as likely to fill positions within 2 weeks. This highlights two of the key areas where conversational AI can really boost companies' talent acquisition: efficiency and candidate communication.

By increasing efficiency and filling vacancies faster, chatbots offer excellent return on investment. By automating certain elements of the process, such as scheduling interviews and providing accurate information, recruiters are free to focus on strategic tasks.

Furthermore, chat bot flows boost the candidate experience by combatting the dreaded recruitment “black hole”. In 2019, 26.4% of jobseekers said that not hearing back from potential employers was their most serious concern when applying for jobs online. When applicants have to wait long periods of time for an update on the status of their application, they can become disengaged and develop a negative view of the company in question. Chat bots ensure that candidates are kept in the loop, offering speedy responses and quick feedback. Candidates can even avoid the arduous process of inputting their information into online forms, by sharing this information with a bot via automated messaging instead.

Chat bot flows add significant value to a companies' recruitment process by improving candidate communication, filling vacancies more quickly and efficiently, and ultimately increasing conversion rates.

Bespoke Careers hub

Most companies put a lot of time, effort and resources into making their company a great place to work. This might include particular focus on areas that candidates are known to prioritise, including diversity and inclusion, company culture, and professional development.

Today's candidates are increasingly looking to work for companies that align with their personal values. To stand out, companies need to have strong, brand-specific messaging; applicants are eager to learn more about the company and its culture, rather than just the job itself.

For this reason, a bespoke Careers hub with employer branding plays an important role in converting applicants into hires. The more employer-specific content they can access, and the more they can learn about company culture, the more likely they are to choose that company over a competitor at the hiring stage.

inploi's candidate experience platform

inploi's technology brings together all of the above to provide a first-class candidate experience that increases conversion rates and optimises return on investment.

inploi gives you a top-rate careers hub, complete with employer branding space, powerful job search, and customisable chatbot apply flows, optimised for all devices. Convert syncs seamlessly with your existing systems, keeping job content current and delivering candidate applications straight into your ATS.

If you're ready to transform your candidate experience, get in touch with inploi today.