There is The Rule of 50/50 that I recommend as it relates to the balance of talking versus listening throughout the interview process. If you find yourself talking more than 50% of the time during the course of an interview, then you are talking too much. Take a Breath. Hold the Phone. Stop, Drop and Roll....whatever idiom you like best here, do it! Going on and on about yourself is a definite no-no during the interview process. As a candidate, avoid giving long-winded answers to questions and by all means, avoid interrupting the interviewer. Focus on brevity, clarity and impact in your statments.

It is just as important to ask questions as it is to answer them during the interview process. Nothing is worse when asked if there are any questions and a candidate answers, "No, I think I have all I need." Use the interview process as way to get others to talk about themselves. People love to talk about themselves. Ask questions to gain better insights about the job, the organization and each interviewer. Candidates who ask probing questions have a better chance of getting hired than those who do not. Asking thoughtful questions demonstrates a candidate's interest in the company and job.

During the interview process, try to gain understanding of the organizational significance of the position and its potential business impact. What are some broader company initiatives and goals? Is this a new role? Did someone leave? Find out why. Be genuinely curious and questions will come naturally. A successful interview feels more like a good conversation. Aim to make it one.

Keep in mind that when interviewers ask open-ended questions, they are assessing your communication skills. "Tell me about yourself...," is not an invitation to tell your entire life story. Somewhere between 1-2 minutes, you will start to lose the interviewer's interest. Pay attention to body language. If the interviewer's eyes start to wonder, make your point and move on to the next topic.

Start with headlines, then fill in the blanks during the course of the interview. Make sure you give examples and tell stories that are relevant to the open position. Accept that not every detail about you and your career needs to be divulged during the interview process. Stick to pertinent information and examples. Your goal is to keep the interview conversational and always remember The Rule of 50/50!

If your organization has a problem getting candidates to accept job offers, your recruiting process may be turning candidates off. Do not wait until candidates turn down an offer or get the opportunity to vent poor interview experiences across social media channels. Get ahead of it now. Start simple.

Here are some candidate communication strategies you can implement today.

Share company research. Send relevant information, articles and/or news about your organization to candidates ahead of interviews. While it is the candidate's responsibility to prepare for the interview, there is no need to make finding company information a treasure hunt. Serve up articles, research and/or resources for candidates to learn about your company. Use this as an opportunity to position your organization favorably.

Set candidate expectations. Be transparent about the recruiting process with candidates from the beginning. Share how many rounds of interviews will be required, whom they will meet, and associated timelines for hiring. For example, is this role a company investment needed 3-6 months down the road or is it a role that needs to be immediately filled? Properly setting a candidate's expectations will help with follow-up communications.

Disclose the interview team. Do not make it a mystery. Share the name and title of each interviewer that the candidate will be meeting. Context is key for great conversation, so facilitate it. Information is power and your recruiting process should focus on setting the stage for engaging conversations between candidates and interviewers.

Respect a candidate's time. Leaving a candidate waiting for an interview will detract from the recruiting process. It is awkward to be sitting in an unfamiliar office environment, so being left in a lobby or alone in an office for an extended period of time will create be a negative experience for most candidates.

Thank candidates for their time. In many cases, candidates have taken time off of work or from their schedules to interview with your organization. Remember, a little humility goes along way. Demonstrating you appreciate someone's time will reflect positively on your organization.

Follow-up with candidates. This is probably the most overlooked step in the recruiting process. Take the time to communicate with candidates whether they advance through the process or not. If you pick one thing to do in this list, do this one. It is the top candidate complaint in the recruiting process overall.

Remember that the devil is in the details. Send a schedule, directions to the office, and paperwork to be completed ahead of time. Focus candidates' in-office experience on great conversations, not paperwork or administrative tasks.

Post offer communication is key. After an offer has been extended to a candidate, have the hiring manager or a top executive contact the candidate directly. Make it a phone call to express excitement about the candidate potentially joining the company. This step will increase the odds of the offer being accepted. It just makes people feel good.

At the end of the day, positive candidate experience comes down to communication. Being transparent about the process, setting expectations and context, as well as focusing your recruiting process on the pursuit of engaging conversations will create positive candidate experiences. As a result, you should see an increase in accepted job offers.