The recruitment process can be long and drawn out — especially for executive roles in specialized industries, like fintech.
While it’s important to take your time to ensure you select the right candidate, dragging things on can cause potential recruits to lose interest. As a recruiter or hiring manager, it’s important to keep candidates warm and interested in the position you need to fill, and the best way to do this is with excellent ongoing communication.
Don’t let your dream candidates slip away because they haven’t heard from you in weeks. Sending out regular emails to update candidates on the hiring process and where their application stands can go a long way toward keeping them invested in the opportunity.
Below, we provide a few sample recruiting email templates to help get you started. But if you prefer a more customized approach, keep reading — we’ll also provide some actionable best practices for crafting successful candidate communication emails from scratch.
What It Means To Keep Candidates Warm and Why It’s Important
As you work on strategic sourcing recruitment, it’s important that the candidates you work with remain warm.
But what does “warm” mean, exactly?
A warm candidate is someone who is still invested in a job opportunity and wants to continue forward with the interview process to see if they are a good fit for the role.
Warm candidates may not be heavily invested in getting the role, but they still express interest in the position. If they start to lose interest, look into other opportunities, or stop responding to your outreach emails, then they become a cold candidate.
It’s important to make every effort to keep a candidate from going cold: You may miss out on the perfect hire due to something completely preventable, like a lack of communication. And that perfect hire may be scooped up by your competitors instead!
By taking the steps to keep candidates warm, you help keep them engaged in the interview process and foster an overall better candidate experience. Actions like follow-up emails, check-ins, and requests for more information about the candidate’s experience or references all help candidates know they are still in the running for the role and have a chance of being hired.
When You Should Check In With Your Candidates
Let’s explore a few common scenarios that function as great opportunities to touch base with candidates to keep them warm.
1. Receiving Their Application or Resume
The first type of email to send to keep candidates warm is a confirmation email letting them know you have received their application or resume. This helps them understand what stage of the hiring process they are in and reassures them that you have received the information.
Sample Email
Hello [Candidate Name],
Thank you for your interest in [Job Title] at [Client Company Name]. I’m sending this to inform you that we have received your [Application/Resume] and will review it as soon as possible..
As we review your job application, we will be in contact with you [Specific Date and Time] to let you know if we think you are a fit for the position and the next steps to take.
All the best,
[Email Signature]
2. Moving on to the Next Hiring Stage
As you narrow down your candidate pool after receiving applications, it’s important to update all the people who are moving forward about what the next stage of hiring is. This will likely include an interview invitation email.
In this email you want to congratulate the candidate on making it this far in the process and let them know how interested you are in meeting with them.
Sample Email
Hi [Candidate Name],
After reviewing your application, we are pleased to announce that you have moved on to the next stage in the hiring process! We think your skill set and experience are a good fit for [Job Title] at [Client Company Name] and want to meet with you.
Are you available for a [Type of Interview] next week? If not, please let us know a few dates and times that work for you from [Date Range].
We look forward to meeting you!
Best wishes,
[Email Signature]
3. Status Updates on the Hiring Process
As mentioned earlier, the interview process can be long for both hiring managers and candidates. If you have weeks of scheduled interviews and a diverse pool of candidates to sort through, it can be helpful for you to send out a few status update emails so candidates know they are still in the running. These emails help to build a relationship between you and a candidate while keeping them engaged.
Sample Email
Hello [Candidate Name],
Thank you for your patience and time as we continue to search for the next [Job Title] at [Client Company Name]. I’m writing to inform you that we are still reviewing candidates and will have an idea of next steps after [Period of Time].
We want to thank you again for your interest in [Client Company Name] and look forward to speaking with you soon.
Best,
[Email Signature]
Remember: Candidates are going through their own job-seeking journey. So, you might even send emails to candidates who you’ve determined will not be moving forward in the process. This keeps your candidate pipeline cleared, and candidates are likely to appreciate the transparency.
4. Delays in the Hiring Process
Not every hiring process runs smoothly. There are many times when unexpected delays come up that push back key steps in the interview process, such as employee sick days and vacations, or new candidates getting added to the mix.
You should be honest with candidates during this time, informing them of the delays and apologizing for the extended wait time. This helps establish transparency, which is key for building trust.
Sample Email
Hello [Candidate Name],
Thank you for your patience as we have worked through the hiring process for [Job Title] at [Client Company Name]. While we are still looking to fill this position, an unexpected delay due to [Details About Delay] has come up. This has pushed out our timeframe until [Estimated Time and Date].
I apologize for the delay, but will get back to you as soon as possible with new details.
Thank you for your continued interest.
Talk to you soon,
[Email Signature]
5. Requesting Additional Information or References
A final type of email that you might send out to warm candidates is a request for additional information or references.
As you work through the interview process, there might come a time where you need more information than what appears on a candidate’s resume. This might include references, or tangible items like a portfolio, record of awards, or proof of certification.
Asking a candidate for these resources lets them know you are invested and keeps them engaged in the interview process.
Sample Email
Hi [Candidate Name],
I’m happy to inform you that we have reviewed your application and think you may be a good fit for [Job Title] at [Client Company Name]. As we move through the interview process, there are a few additional things we need.
Please respond to this email with [Additional Information/References] so our team can review alongside your application. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to the [Next Steps] after we’ve received this information.
All the best,
[Your Name]
Best Practices for Building Emails to Candidates
Now that you know what types of emails you might write and how to format them, let’s take a look at some other recruiting tips for writing emails to potential candidates.
Maintain Your Company Brand and Voice
One important tip is to maintain your company brand and voice in the emails you send. Not every email needs to have a formal tone. While using a template is a great start, it’s important that you add your company’s personality to the emails you send.
This can help candidates understand more about you and what your brand personality is, so they have a better understanding of how to respond. It also helps solidify your brand’s voice and create cohesion in your communications with candidates.
Keep It Concise
Emails work best when they are short, clear, and concise. Condense the information into a few short lines and save the longer conversations for in-person interviews or phone calls.
Once you get into an interview or phone call, then you can dive into details about the job description and next steps in greater detail.
Personalize Whenever Possible
If a candidate receives emails that feel formulaic and disconnected, then they might not think your company is worth the time to explore. Instead, personalize the emails to make them feel like valued, respected, successful candidates. You can use information from social media profiles like LinkedIn, or from the job application itself, to gather personal details to incorporate throughout your emails.
Double-Check for Spelling or Grammatical Errors
You want all the communication you send out to potential candidates to be professional and a good representation of your company. Therefore, it’s important that you check for spelling or grammatical errors before you send any emails.
Use proofreading tools like Grammarly or your email client’s built-in spell-check function to help scan emails for readability. Alternatively, you can ask another member of your team to take a quick look before you send it off.
Clearly Communicate the Next Steps or Call To Action
The final tip is to make sure that you are clearly communicating about next steps or calls to action within your emails. You want candidates to know exactly what they need to do next, whether that’s provide a phone number, start thinking about interview questions, or apply for another open position on your company website. No matter what the next step is, make it easy for candidates to see that and act accordingly.
Engage Your Job Candidates and Secure Top Talent With Hunt Club
Hiring the right candidate takes time and can be a long process, especially for executive or professional roles within your company. Having an email template for different situations to help keep candidates warm is a great way to communicate with them and ensure you still have the best talent for your vacancies.
At Hunt Club, we can help you engage with your job candidates and make sure that they are invested in every step of the hiring process.
We work to fill top roles in your business and make it easier on you to source top talent. Contact our team today to learn more about our approach and discover the difference Hunt Club can make.
