Daniel JamesRegardless of what kind of candidate you’re interviewing, one thing will remain consistent in your talent acquisition: your candidates will always value direct communication. Nothing is more frustrating to a candidate who takes the time to seek out your company for employment, go through the hiring stages, and then never hear from you again. And, just like with a customer unsatisfied with your product, a candidate with a bad hiring experience can create a negative perception of your own company.
It’s not unreasonable to think that candidates will get irritated when they don’t hear back from a company they’ve been interviewing with. Whether it was just an initial online hiring process, phone screen, or all the way up through the entire hiring process, losing out on a job at any point in the hiring process is already disappointing. However, add weeks, even months, of radio silence, and the candidate can go from disappointed to resentful. After all, that same disappointment and frustration happens on the recruiting and hiring end as well – nobody likes when their would-be employee suddenly vanishes. It’s a two way street, and expectations are mutual, if not always met.
Why is this such a risk now, however? The answer points to the resources available to a job seeker. In 2015 tools such as Glassdoor, CareerBuilder, and LinkedIn enable candidates to learn about the hiring experiences other job searchers have had with a company. The digital age alone has made hiring processes something that any candidate can share with thousands – if not millions – of other job seekers. And that’s before other prospecting strategies that candidates will employ, such as networking. What’s more, these tools are available to anyone who’s willing to create a basic account.
Now, consider a candidate with a hiring experience where they don’t hear back for a length of time. They may or may not have tried reaching out to find out what the process is, and their inquires have been met with silence. Those candidates, unsatisfied, may go on these digital channels and review their hiring process with your company – often with negative feedback because of the lack of response. If this continually happens your company will develop a poor reputation among job seekers,
This can result in extremely negative impacts on your talent acquisition process. Top tier candidates may skip filling out an initial application, while others may be less devoted to their own hiring process and will be more inclined to take another opportunity, rather than continue to seek out one at your organization.
The solution is an “easier said than done” situation: follow up with your candidates. It can be time consuming to respond to emails asking about the status of an application, or returning a call. Many of these quick touch communications can even be automated. But even a quick email just relaying that there’s no news is enough to keep a candidate appeased. “Less is more” in this case – a two second email can do wonders towards your potential employees, and distinguish your company as one that cares about it’s candidates rather than ignores them. That, in turn, will boost your company’s reputation so when future candidates search for you, they’ll see how much your organization cares about it’s potential candidates.
To learn more, contact us today, or download our newest e-book, “15 Must-Ask Questions Before Implementing a Pre-hire Assessment Process,” below:
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