Email Beyond the First Hello
In the recruitment world, the initial contact is just the beginning. The real magic happens in the follow-ups. The check-ins, the nudges, the “just making sure you’re still breathing” emails. These aren’t just niceties; they’re essential touchpoints that keep candidates and hiring managers engaged, informed, and less likely to ghost you.
Candidate Engagement: It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint
Engaging candidates isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s about building a relationship over time. Here’s how email automation can help:
- Pre-Interview Prep: Send automated emails with interview tips, company insights, and what to expect. This not only prepares candidates but also shows that you care about their success.
- Post-Interview Follow-Ups: Automate thank-you notes, feedback requests, and next steps. Keeping candidates in the loop reduces anxiety and keeps them engaged.
- Regular Check-Ins: Set up emails to go out at regular intervals (say, one week, two weeks, a month after the interview) to keep the lines of communication open.
- Re-Engagement Campaigns: For candidates who didn’t get the job, automate periodic emails with new opportunities, industry news, or career tips to keep your agency top of mind.
Hiring Manager Engagement: Because They’re People Too
Hiring managers are often juggling multiple roles. Automated emails can help streamline communication:
- Interview Reminders: Automate reminders with candidate resumes, interview questions, and evaluation forms.
- Feedback Requests: Post-interview, send automated emails prompting managers to provide feedback.
- Process Updates: Keep managers informed about candidate progress, background checks, and other relevant updates.
The Deliverability Advantage: Engaged Recipients = Better Reputation
Sending emails to engaged recipients isn’t just good manners; it’s good business. Engaged recipients are less likely to mark your emails as spam, which improves your domain reputation. Even better, if they reply or forward your emails, it signals to email providers that you’re a trusted sender, further enhancing deliverability.
Tools of the Trade: CRM Systems and Integrations
Many CRM systems come with built-in email automation features. For those that don’t, third-party integrations can fill the gap. Bullhorn Automation, for example, offers robust tools for automating candidate and client communications, ensuring timely and relevant interactions throughout the recruitment process.
Expert Insight: Holly Langley on Strategic Automation
Holly Langley of RE:STACK, experts in Bullhorn Automation, emphasizes the importance of strategic communication:
“Recruitment automation is about freeing consultants to focus on what matters most… building real, human connections with clients and candidates. Done right, you can increase client retention, candidate engagement, and demonstrate you are engaged with people withut lifting a finger.”
TL;DR – Automation is Your New Best Recruiter
- Don’t stop at hello – automate pre- and post-interview emails, feedback loops, and check-ins.
- Engage your hiring managers – reminders, updates, and nudges can all be automated.
- Live recipients love you back – engaged people don’t mark you as spam (bonus: replies = reputation gold).
- CRMs got you covered – built-in or bolt-on, automation is accessible.
- Strategic > Spammy – as Holly Langley puts it, relevance wins. Don’t burn out your people with noise.
Need Help?
If your current “automation strategy” involves a calendar reminder and a post-it note, we should talk.
At Quinset, we help recruitment businesses build smart, scalable email automation that keeps candidates warm, hiring managers in the loop, and your domain reputation squeaky clean. Whether you’re on Bullhorn, Vincere, or something cobbled together during lockdown, we’ll help you plug in systems that work, without annoying everyone in the process.
Let’s make your emails the ones people actually want to read.
👉 Get in touch and let’s fix your follow-up game.
