“I don’t understand it. They told me that they were just looking now and that they would not make a decision for at least another three months. Why would you have me make this effort? If I find the role I am looking for, do they honestly think I will stick around for their call? The nerve of them.”
As I heard that, I said that yes, it does make sense. But I also know that we all have done informational interviews from time to time, but three months out is totally different. I don’t know what type interview that I would classify that as.
But this I do know: if a candidate has a bad experience applying for a job, that can play a critical role if your company decides to offer that candidate a position. Your organization is then behind the 8-ball from the start, so if the candidate takes the position, they are probably coming in not fully engaged and already skeptical.
Recruiting: it’s sort of like dating
I have always looked at recruiting as dating, in the old sense of the word. You both put your best foot forward during the courtship. You both display excellent manners until one of you decide that it is, or is not, a match made in heaven. You would never be rude or unresponsive.
And in the end if it does not work out, then you have that conversation and move on. That’s the way that I have always approached recruiting, too — no bad blood and walk away as friends, because in life, you never know how or when things will come around again.
I had lunch with a good friend the other day who had an interview years ago with a higher level person who basically just stuck her head in the door and spent a few minutes chatting before she passed her on. All the while, she was rude and rushed — and she was the hiring manager.
As fate would have it, this hiring manger lost her job not too long after that encounter. Then at an industry event a few months ago, my friend — now gainfully employed — was approached by this individual, and now, she was all ears with all the pleasantries, good to see yous, etc.
She even offered to do lunch or grab a cup of coffee together. It is amazing what unemployment will do to a person. Now the roles had shifted, and now this person wanted to network.
What you get from a bad candidate experience
Bad treatment during the courting process can cause a candidate to stop pursuing that company or turn down a job offer — that is, if he or she gets that far. But that’s not the end of it. Employers could lose out on more than just talent when the applicant experience is bad; the company’s reputation and business can suffer, too.
There was a time that organizations were in control of their culture. Not anymore; now you can go to a website like Glassdoor.com and learn everything that goes on inside a company, although I got into a discussion with a senior leader who told me that Glassdoor posts were all from losers and just sour grapes, so to speak.
But my point was that if you took the time to read through some of the statements posted at Glassdoor, and you find a common thread, whether it be about your recruiting process or statements about the company culture, you have a problem.
I always suggest that leaders should take a look at these kind of websites and see what your current, as well as your past, employees are saying about you. If you are trying to build a brand, repair a brand, or just want to maintain your brand status, you have to be aware of what is being said.
5 things to ask about your recruiting process
And on the other hand, your recruiting process must get corrected, so first you should take a quick look at how well your process works. You should:
• Test the process: Have someone go to your website, and have them search and apply for a job. This is the usually one of the major complaints people have. Is the process easy or is it numerous clicks before they submit? That is why I am a big fan of “Apply with Linkedin,” because it can’t get any simpler than that.
• Did you receive it? If you did receive the application, did your company acknowledge it? According to a CareerBuilder survey, a massive 44 percent of job applicants heard nothing after applying. That’s kind of like putting it in bottle and tossing it out to sea, then hoping and wondering that someone will come along and pick it up.
• Kiss and tell: If you had a bad date, will you talk about it? There was a time that this would never happen. Today, not only will people share their every moment, but they surely will tell, text, and tweet to everyone they know about what happened. If they are mistreated, someone else will surely hear about it.
• Keep ‘em warm: Every recruiter that has worked for me knows that we have to keep “potentials” engaged in the process. If you say you will call next week, dammit, call next week. If you say you have nothing to tell them, tell them that. Do not under any circumstances tell someone that you will follow up and then not follow through. Our word is our bond. If you agree to something, live up to it. Silence is not an option. My father would always tell me that the most important thing to remember is to always keep your word.
The bottom line is, you can’t mistreat people. You can say you are overworked, have 30 reqs open, working long hours, etc. Yes, you’re probably busy, but I still say that you can’t mistreat people. You must develop a process for following up and keeping them warm because it is important.
They also need to understand the business to recruit and select the right kind of people. “The fate of your business is held in the hands of the youngest recruit of the staff,” said Akio Morita, the well-known founder of Sony Corporation of Japan.
Yes, those are words to remember — and a good reason to remember why your recruiting process, and treating applicants well, is so critically important to the future of your organization.
Extract from article of Ron Thomas of Buck Consultants.
Addition by Roshan Kumar : Industries operating through volume Hiring Mode cant sustain without a positive Recruitment Process as Word of Mouth and Employee Referral Program must yielding better contribution in Hiring channels.
While HR focks do lot to ensure a candidate once Selected get the best treatment right from Issuing Offer Letter to On boarding tools to Budding during OJT and mentoring post 3 months of hiring. However their has been ZERO focus towards candidates who doesn't fit the bill however are part of same Talent Pool and Region.
With 35% Walk in to selection Ratio & 50% Selection to Joining Ratio it is utmost that we create a strong Engagement model with first 65% Job seekers who were not selected due to any of the reason as they will be playing role of a Advisor while approaching similar talent Pool. This pool share their views on social media , open forum as well as in close circuits and can hit organisation Branding if not respected equally.
Following are the Quick Actionable from this:
1. Thank you SMS to all Job Seekers.
2. Thank you email along with JD and Pre requisite of the Position which they applied for.
3. Reminder mailer about the cooling period for attending Interview.
4. Asking for Referral for open positions time to time.
5.Email flier of all future opening in the organisation.
Will be writing a detailed action plan for the same in forthcoming Article.
Addition by Roshan Kumar : Industries operating through volume Hiring Mode cant sustain without a positive Recruitment Process as Word of Mouth and Employee Referral Program must yielding better contribution in Hiring channels.
While HR focks do lot to ensure a candidate once Selected get the best treatment right from Issuing Offer Letter to On boarding tools to Budding during OJT and mentoring post 3 months of hiring. However their has been ZERO focus towards candidates who doesn't fit the bill however are part of same Talent Pool and Region.
With 35% Walk in to selection Ratio & 50% Selection to Joining Ratio it is utmost that we create a strong Engagement model with first 65% Job seekers who were not selected due to any of the reason as they will be playing role of a Advisor while approaching similar talent Pool. This pool share their views on social media , open forum as well as in close circuits and can hit organisation Branding if not respected equally.
Following are the Quick Actionable from this:
1. Thank you SMS to all Job Seekers.
2. Thank you email along with JD and Pre requisite of the Position which they applied for.
3. Reminder mailer about the cooling period for attending Interview.
4. Asking for Referral for open positions time to time.
5.Email flier of all future opening in the organisation.
Will be writing a detailed action plan for the same in forthcoming Article.
