5 Key Stats for Communicating With Candidates in 2023

Effective communication with candidates is essential to a successful hiring process. By providing clear and timely communication, you can build relationships with candidates, increase their interest in your company, and improve your chances of finding the best talent for your open positions. But effective communication can mean different things to candidates and employers, and if your definition doesn’t match up with what job seekers expect, it could set you back.

In our What Candidates Want: 2023 Job Seeker Survey, we asked 600 candidates aged 18+ and of all types of employment statuses what they want when communicating with employers, and more. Keep reading to see our findings from the report, including how to communicate with candidates, when to communicate, and why failing to do so can hurt your employer brand.

What Candidates Want When Communicating With Employers – a Snapshot

• 79.2% want to be contacted by email
• 95.5% want employers to acknowledge receipt of their application
• 66.1% want employers to respond to their application within 24 hours
• 81.8% prefer the employer notify them if they are no longer in the running for the job
• 69.5% would be or might be less likely to interact with a company if they don’t hear back after applying

How to Communicate With Candidates

While email is candidates’ most preferred method of communication, they are open to other channels, too. When asked to select how they preferred to be contacted, phone calls (54.5%) and texts (79.2%) were also highly favored. Last on the list were social media (15.2%) and snail mail (5.3%).

When to Communicate With Candidates

Almost every candidate wants to know that you’ve received their application, but the speed at which they want you to respond varies. The majority prefer to be contacted within a day (5.3% want a response within an hour, 18.3% want a response the same day, and 42.5% want a response the next day), but a third of respondents say three or more days is acceptable.

While responding to every candidate within a day may sound daunting, having an automated response or template can help make things easier.

Most candidates still want to hear from you even if you have bad news for them. 81.8% say they would prefer the employer let them know if they are disqualified from the job or no longer in the running, and 8.2% said “maybe.” 

Why Communicate With Candidates

Regardless of when you respond to candidates, it’s still important that you take the time to keep in contact throughout the hiring process. Ghosting a candidate (cutting off communication) could damage your employer brand. When asked if they’re less likely to interact with a brand in the future as a result of not hearing back from the employer, 38.7% said “yes,” and 30.8% said “maybe.”

Fast, frequent, and transparent communication with employers was one of candidates’ greatest “wants,” and if you’re able to provide that, you’ll likely attract the best talent in your industry. Keep the stats above in mind when responding to candidates, and download the full What Candidates Want: 2023 Job Seeker Report for more insights into what job seekers expect when they apply to your jobs. For help drafting responses and reaching out to candidates, check out the Email and Letter Templates section in our Employer Resource Center.