You’ve identified a great candidate and emailed them the next steps in your recruitment process, but you get no response. A few days later you wonder whether they’ve even seen the message.

With top applicants increasingly receiving messages from employers across several platforms at once – emails, texts, voicemails, social media – it’s becoming more common for messages to get lost in the noise, or even mistaken for a scam.

And when they do get seen, emails or messages don’t always get a lot of attention, which means they can be easily misunderstood.

So what do hiring managers need to consider to ensure their communications are seen and responded to by the best candidates?

To find out, we spoke with Adinda Rani, P&C Administrator at Justice Connect – a national NFP focused on increasing access to legal support – and Kate Hickman, Chief People Officer at Infoxchange, which tackles complex social challenges through technology and digital innovation.

An applicant management system can help simplify what can otherwise be a messy communication process. But if you don’t have access to such a system, a strategy built around well-timed texts and emails – with phone calls when needed – can still be highly effective.

Whatever approach you take, thoughtful messaging that pays attention to clarity, intention, timing and tone can go a long way towards making a great first impression building your employer brand, trust and improving candidate response rates.

Here are 9 important things to keep in mind when you’re reaching out to your top candidates:

1. Tailor the message to each candidate

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Getting what is clearly a bulk message or email may be fine if you haven’t been shortlisted for a job, but it’s not a great way to start a relationship with a top candidate.

“In the age of AI, candidates want a personal touch,” says Rani. “Wording needs to feel tailored. One thing that can really undermine that is when merge fields fail and, instead of a candidate’s name, the message reads ‘Dear [First Name].’ That’s not a good experience.”

Most two-way messaging systems allow you to personalise messages even when sending them in bulk. In the first few stages of a hiring process, it’s important to make sure the message is clear and tailored to who the candidate is and what stage they are at.

As applicants progress, personalisation becomes even more important, and bulk messaging should be scaled back. “Candidates want to feel like the organisation is genuinely interested in who they are, not just their resume,” says Rani. “For NFPs especially, that human connection is also a way of assessing values alignment. You can learn a lot from how a candidate responds on a more personal level.”

2. Be clear about who you are and why you’re reaching out

When it comes to making first contact with a top applicant , they should immediately understand who you are, where you’re from and why you’re contacting them.

In an age of spam, job scams and phishing, building trust from the get go is especially important, and details build trust.

As Rani explains: “Candidates need to know from the very first communication what the purpose is, what to expect, and whether they’ll hear back regardless of the outcome or only if they’re successful. Don’t commit to a timeline you can’t stick to. Keep it simple and honest from the start.”

Getting the tone right is especially important during initial outreach, says Rani. If a message feels unclear or generic, it’s more likely to be ignored or flagged as spam.

For example:

Poor: “Hi there, we have an exciting opportunity, call me ASAP.”

Better: “Hi Sam, it’s Alex from [Organisation]. I’m following up on your application for the Support Worker role.”

3. Get the timing right

“When it comes to timing, the key is relevance,” says Hickman from Infoxchange.

If applicants are employed, it’s likely they’ll only see your messages or emails after hours, so sending a message at 9am and expecting an answer that day might not be reasonable.

“You also have to respect that candidates have lives outside your recruitment process. They may have jobs, families and other applications running at the same time, so avoid over-communicating. For follow-ups, once every day or two is appropriate if it’s not urgent. If something is time-sensitive, two to three contact attempts is a reasonable limit. At some point, a candidate’s responsiveness – or lack of it – becomes an indication of their commitment to the process.”

“Best practice is to get back to candidates within a week of their application,” adds Rani. “When the process is taking longer than expected, we send an acknowledgement explaining that only successful candidates will be contacted. All communication should happen within business hours.”

4. Know when to message and when to call

Knowing when to message and when to call  is part of respecting a candidate’s time and attention. Messaging works well for initial outreach, quick updates, reminders or short follow-ups. For more formal communication, like a final job offer,  phone calls might be best.

“We let candidates know early on the ways they can expect to hear from us at every stage of the process,” says Hickman. “We’ll tell them they’ll receive a written communication if they’re not progressing, a phone call if they are. Usually, an initial email or phone screening is important for establishing the process and giving candidates a genuine sense of who you are.”

“We tend to use texts for requesting reference check details, asking for practising certificates, or following up on documents like transcripts that haven’t been uploaded,” adds Rani.

5. If you want a response, say so

Have you ever not heard back from a candidate after reaching our by email or message? It could be that you weren’t clear enough that you wanted a response!

When you’re crafting a message, be clear on what your ‘call to action’ is, and don’t hide it away in the middle of paragraph three.

“In written communication it’s especially important to specify what’s needed to move to the next step,” Hickman explains. “Where there’s a deadline or an assessment to complete, make it explicit.

“We have templated communications with the call to action very clear and underscored for these kinds of touchpoints. It’s important not to bury the call to action in the middle of the message. Sometimes, a reminder message might also be necessary to get the response needed.”

Hickman says it’s also important to end messages in a way that encourages candidates to ask questions or seek clarification if they need it. “Even small opportunities for two-way communication can make candidates feel more supported and informed throughout the process,” she says.

6. Strike the right tone

Messages should feel professional, but not generic. A warm and considered tone can make candidates more likely to engage and respond. Try to give the candidate a sense of who you are, rather than trying to come across impersonal or robotic.

“There’s always a fine line between being professional and too personal, but small things make a difference,” says Rani. “I’ll use a smiley face in an email if I’m asking for something, just to soften the tone.

“Before I send any message, I always read it back and ask myself, ‘Would I be happy receiving this?’ If it’s a rejection, would it at least feel respectful? If it’s a nudge, does it feel necessary, or would the candidate think ‘this could have just been an email’? That check keeps the communication intentional.”

“It’s important to use your organisation’s language in all written communications,” adds Hickman. “Every organisation has a tone, and weaving that into your messaging matters. For us, we refer to everyone who works with us as the ‘IX crew’ – so when an offer is being made, we might say ‘we look forward to welcoming you to the IX crew.’ Incorporating that kind of cultural language keeps communications human rather than rigid and corporate.”

7. Keep colleagues in the loop – or don’t!

Before you send, consider who else needs to be included in the communication. If using email, CC anyone who needs to be kept in the loop. Most application management systems allow you to include colleagues in reply notifications from candidates without sharing their details, which can be a nice way to avoid unwanted future emails.

But first clarify if your colleague or manager needs or wants to see replies from every applicant, or if you should be handling the back and forth and looping them in on the outcomes.

There’s nothing worse than being included on long message or email chains if you don’t need to be. So if you’re unsure, ask them before clicking send.

8. A quick checklist before hitting send

Before reaching out to a candidate, take a moment to sense-check your approach by asking the following questions:

• Is there a clear reason for contacting this candidate right now?
• Is this the most appropriate communication channel?
• Is the message concise, clear and easy to understand?
• Have I clearly identified myself, my organisation and the purpose of the message?
• Does the tone feel human and conversational, rather than overly corporate or generic?
• Is the timing appropriate?
• Have I clearly outlined the ‘call to action’, any next steps or timelines?
• Is it easy for the candidate to respond or ask follow-up questions?
• Have I included the right colleagues to receive replies?

For NFPs especially, recruitment messaging is not only about securing a response – it’s often a candidate’s first real insight into your organisation’s culture and values, which is why getting it right matters.

Whether or not you use a centralised messaging system during the process, keeping communication clear, relevant, timely and human will go a long way to ensuring the right candidate remains engaged from the moment they submit the application right through to accepting the offer.

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