Noticed a reduction in your open and click through rates for emails sent over the last year? When Google rolled out changes to the way emails were filtered recruitment professionals with a large number of Gmail recipients noticed a significant drop off.

The introduction of category tabs and automatic content filtering sorts users emails into areas three areas; Primary, Social and Promotions. If you are a Gmail user the new filtering system is great for hiding all of your unwanted LinkedIn group updates however it does present recruiters sending out new vacancies to candidates a problem.

According to Strong View 46% of Gmail users only check their promotions tab once a week. If you are emailing new vacancies or job alerts it could be a week before the positions are seen by potential candidates. In that time a competitor could have already connected and engaged top candidates.

Smart inboxes require smart emails, check out HRS's tips for maximising your open rates across Gmail users below:

• Review your data, how many Gmail users do you currently email?

• Compare your open rates across various email inboxes. Do certain email clients result in a higher open rate in comparison to Gmail? It may be that your email recipient list is made up of strong supporters with the new tabbing system having little effect.

• Inform email recipients how to add you into their primary inbox. Write a blog, schedule posts through your social media channels and send a targeted email to Gmail users. Make sure you give them a compelling reason to go to the trouble of changing their settings.

• Evaluate the results of your campaigns and adapt your email strategy accordingly.

For more recruitment tips, news and advice head over to the main HRS blog.