4 Emails Recruiters Should Send to Candidates [Plus Templates!]

From SMS messages to social apps to chatbots, there are endless ways to communicate with candidates.

But that doesn’t mean tried-and-true methods like email should fall by the wayside.

An omnichannel presence is key to engaging talent wherever they are in their journey. While SMS is effective for quick communication, for example, email campaigns allow you to stay connected and communicate longer messages during key stages of the talent lifecycle.

Email also continues to be a top source of communication—more than 85% of adults send or read email in the US. And engagement skyrockets when companies embrace personalization. Organizations that tailored content to specific subscriber segments saw click-through rates improve by 14% and conversion rates improve 10%.

Save time and write emails faster: Download the 7 Must-Have Email Templates for Recruiters!

To ensure you’re maximizing this channel effectively, here are 4 emails you should be sending to candidates and what you should include in each.

1. Welcome Email

As soon as a job seeker signs up to join your email list or Talent Community, you have a chance to create a memorable impression. The Thank You (or Welcome) email immediately engages your audience after they take an action, establishes a positive tone, and allows you to communicate your brand.

Thank You emails typically receive some of the highest engagement—including a 92% open rate. These emails work best when they are set up to automatically send as soon as a candidate signs up to your email list. This “set it and forget it” approach allows you to focus on more strategic tasks while your emails do their share in nurturing candidates for you.

What to include:

Thank you message for signing up
Expectations around how often you’ll send emails
Links to resources informing candidates more about your company and why it’s a great place to work, including available job opportunities, benefit information, social media profiles
Contact information

2. New Job Opportunities Email

One of the biggest benefits of an active email list? You can stay connected with passive job seekers who weren’t ready to apply to a job the first time they visited your career site. To do so, be sure to send regular emails communicating new and relevant job openings. Send them manually to a targeted list of candidates, or set up email campaigns to automatically send based on specific candidate criteria.

As you set the frequency, consider the volume of open jobs at your company. To avoid spamming job seekers, start with sending bi-weekly or once a month. Keep an eye out on unsubscribes and open rates to gauge whether or not you need to adjust the cadence.

What to include:

New available job openings
Link to view all available jobs
Contact information

Pro Tip: Consider your audience. Job seekers who are actively looking for a new role will want to hear from you more frequently, while passive job seekers will appreciate less communication.

3. Interview Confirmation Email

There’s nothing candidates hate more than submitting a resume to a company, only to never hear from them again. Not only does this create an unpleasant experience, but it also leaves a bad impression on the very talent you hope to capture. To keep candidates informed, prepare an email for every touchpoint in the process, such as the interview confirmation.

What to include:

Date, time & location
Who the candidate will meet with & departments they’re from
Office address
Parking information
Call-to-action to reach out with any questions

4. Event Follow-Up Email

The party doesn’t stop when a networking or campus event is over—and neither should your communication with any job seekers you met. To keep the dialogue going, send a follow-up email the day after to thank candidates for stopping by. This is a great opportunity to provide additional resources about your company, culture, and open jobs.

What to include:

Thank you message
The name of the event
Helpful resources about your company, such as links to your company website, career opportunities, and blog posts that highlight your culture

To help you craft these emails faster, check out the 7 Must-Have Email Templates for Recruiters. You’ll find templates for each of these emails and more!