Do You Communicate With Your Candidates?
Recruitment Process
“I haven’t heard…” is one of the most common sayings of today’s frustrated job seekers. Do you respond to every applicant that applies to a vacancy with your company? Do you let your unsuccessful's know? If you answer no to either of these questions, you may have a black hole in your recruitment process, but you are not alone. A survey by Career Builder last year highlighted that 62% of job seekers do not feel the companies they have applied to have been responsive.
But what is all the fuss about?
Surely your priorities are in finding the right person for the job and not telling hundreds of people that they haven’t got the job?
I agree that your main priority is to find the right person for the job, but consider the “fall out” of not thanking people for their effort in applying. In many cases, the applicant has tailored their CV to fit the role, researched your company and/or job, written a cover letter and perhaps they have completed an application form. In some cases, they may have printed the application form and paid for a stamp too.
If the shoe was on the other foot, how would you feel about a company who did not let you know that you were unsuccessful? Would you recommend this organisation to your friends? Would you immediately log onto their e-commerce site and purchase their latest gadget? Would you re-apply for their jobs in the future? Or, would you assume this organisation doesn’t care about their staff and make a note not to apply for any of their future vacancies? If you heard someone mention this company, you may even say “Oh, that company! I applied for a job and they didn’t have the decency to thank me for my application.” {huff}
Just because it happens, doesn't mean it is right.
Employees are usually the most important assets of an organisation and it can cost thousands of pounds to recruit new talent, so why do so many companies fail to look after their future talent pipeline? I bet they wouldn’t treat their customers like this.
Fact: People are far more likely to remember something negative than positive. It’s just how our brain works.
Fact: We are entering into a candidate driven market. This means there are more jobs than people.
Do the maths: Add the two facts together and multiply it by your black hole. What do you get?
Answers in the comments box, please.
PS: It doesn't have to be complicated. There are tools available that will help you radically improve your communication with job seekers. We will be talking about these next week so stay tuned.
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