Candidate response rate

Every hiring step after the first contact depends on one thing: the candidate answers. Candidate response rate measures exactly that. A low rate means good candidates never get screened, however good the questions or the job are.

How do you measure candidate response rate?

1. Pick the group. Count the candidates you contacted in one period, for example one month or one campaign.
2. Count the candidates who responded. A response is any reply: a picked-up call, a message back or a call back. Count each candidate once, however many times you tried.
3. Divide the responders by the contacted candidates.

Candidate response rate = candidates who responded ÷ candidates contacted

Measure it per candidate, not per attempt. Five calls to one person who answers on the fifth try is one response, not one in five. The share of calls that end in voicemail is a different metric: voicemail rate.

How does the type of candidate change the rate?

Response rates differ a lot between groups, so always compare like with like.

• Recent applicants expect contact and answer most often.
• Candidates from an older database have often moved on, changed numbers or forgotten they applied.
• Sourced candidates who never applied to you answer least.

Report the rate per group. A campaign over an old database is not a failure because it scores lower than one over yesterday's applicants.

What raises the response rate?

1. Contact fast. The sooner you reach a new applicant, the more likely they are to answer. See time to first contact. For the employer side of the same problem, see applicant response gap.
2. Use the channel the candidate uses. Frontline candidates read WhatsApp more than email. See WhatsApp recruiting.
3. Call when they can answer. Evenings and weekends reach people who work shifts.
4. Say who you are and why. A first message that names the company and the job they applied for gets more replies than a generic one.
5. Follow up, but not too often. One or two reminders help. More start to feel like spam.
6. Make replying easy. Let candidates answer with a voice message or call back the number that called them.

How does response rate relate to the rest of the funnel?

Response rate is the first gate. After it come the screening completion rate, the share of responders who finish the questions. Interviews and hires follow. A rise in response rate only pays off when the next steps hold. Track the steps together so you can see where candidates drop out.

How does Ringtime raise candidate response?

Ringtime's AI agents reach candidates by phone and WhatsApp, on top of the applicant tracking system (ATS) you already use.

1. The assistant contacts new applicants within 5 minutes of applying, inside the calling hours you set.
2. It calls from a dedicated number. A candidate who missed the call can ring back and talk to the assistant.
3. You set the number of call attempts and the calling window per campaign.
4. After missed calls, the assistant can continue on WhatsApp. If the candidate does not reply, it sends a reminder after the wait you choose.
5. A candidate who replies days later picks up the same conversation.

Ringtime measures reach per campaign during your pilot, so you see the rate for your own candidates.

To reach candidates where they already chat, see how Ringtime's WhatsApp recruiting works.