When managed well, staff and recruitment can enhance your brand.

We have all heard from disgruntled friends, or have experienced first-hand as candidates, a badly managed recruitment process. It is not uncommon to hear that “I was interviewed so many times but they did not know what they wanted”; “the interviewer did not contact me after the interview”.

It seems that in our fast paced business environment, we have forgotten about simple business etiquette.

However does it really matter? The answer is yes. Consider the following reasons.

Attracting good talent

The ability to attract and retain good talent is essential to the success of any organisation. Even in today’s marketplace, attracting and retaining talented employees is challenging. The most talented candidates typically have multiple employers competing for their skills. These candidates are discerning and wait for the right offer. So if the recruitment experience is negative, you run the risk that the candidate you have invested so much time in interviewing, turns down your offer. Even worse the candidate decides to go with a competitor. The recruitment process is a window to the way your organisation operates and how employees are treated. If candidates don’t like what they see they will look elsewhere.

Retaining a pipeline of potential employees

Even unsuitable candidates need to be treated well. You may wish to contact candidates for future roles. However candidates will think twice about working for an organisation if the recruitment experience was negative.

The impact on an organisations brand and image

Nowadays candidates are become more demanding about what they want from the recruitment experience. They are not shy in sharing their negative opinions about the recruitment process whether it be by word of mouth or via on line social media posts.

See it from the candidates’ point of view. Applying for a role can be nerve wracking and overwhelming. Everyone fears rejection and inevitably there is only one winner, the successful candidate. The rest of the candidates get rejected. Also finding and applying for the right role is time consuming and takes considerable effort. So if the process is badly managed, candidates feel very emotional and justifiably aggrieved. Negative comments about the organisation can quickly spread and can influence other people’s opinions of the organisation. We all know the six degrees of separation theory. If six candidates have a bad experience they will tell six others who in turn tell six more and so on.

So how do you ensure that all candidates have a positive recruitment experience?

Advertising can sell your organisation

Advertising is the most common approach when sourcing candidates. The advertisement should have the usual essential content such as. Job title, location, salary and benefits etc. However the advertisement is an excellent opportunity to sell the organisation.

Tips to ensure your advertisement sells your organisation

In the advertisement describe the following:

1. The organisation’s culture and why your employees enjoy working there. This could be for example, flexible working, a team focused culture etc.
2. What the initial challenges will be and the rewards if these challenges are met.
3. How the role contributes to the organisation. This can be as simple as explaining, for example, the importance of the receptionist as the brand ambassador.
4. Outline what the ideal candidate looks like including qualifications, experience and the qualities required. Be careful not to outline a long shopping list of essential “must haves”. Candidates may feel your requirements are unrealistic and there is little room to grow and develop in the organisation.
5. Avoid discriminatory language for example, “You will be working with a fresh, lively and energetic team”. This infers whether it is intentional or not, that you only want to attract young candidates. By avoiding discriminatory language you ensure you attract a diverse range of candidates and you avoid claims of discrimination.
6. Candidates do not want any surprises when they are far advanced in the recruitment process so ensure the advertisement explains the additional steps in the process for example, a security check or a psychometric assessment.
7. Don’t use jargon that candidates don’t understand.
8. Ensure the advertisement is specific. Have a look on Seek and you will see that many advertisements say that the job requires for example, good communication skills or good team work skills. These are broad statements without much meaning. So be more specific about the skills needed. For example “The role requires good communication skills to be able ability to liaise, negotiate and build effective working relationships with senior stakeholders including the Board, the CEO and senior management”. This provides an understanding of the type and depth of communication skills required.
9. Link the advertisement to the organisation’s website address. Consider having a careers section which provides attractive information to candidates such as benefits, culture etc.

Act quickly and respond

If you want to attract high quality candidates then you have to be available to answer queries. This provides a professional image of the organisation and helps you sell the role to candidates.

However admittedly we are time poor. So if this is the case, be honest with the candidates about how you will manage their application. Use the following sentence at the bottom of the advertisement if you don’t have time to talk to candidates.

“Applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted by XXXX. If you have not been contacted by this date, consider your application unsuccessful on this occasion.”

After receiving resumes arrange interviews quickly. If you take too long to contact candidates you may find that the best candidates are accepting offers elsewhere or are fed up waiting to hear from you.

Ensure your employees are brand agents

Be mindful that your employees represent the organisation. How your employees act says a lot about your organisation. We have all heard stories about the interviewer turning up late, or the rude receptionist who kept the candidate waiting etc. So ensure your employees are brand agents and they professionally represent your organisation.

Interviews are a two way street

I have often seen hiring managers try and “psych out” candidates to see how they handle pressure. Candidates are not impressed with this tactic and expect to be treated with respect. Just as you are assessing them they are assessing whether they want to work for you. So the interview needs to be a two way process. So use the interview as an opportunity to sell the organisation.

Tips for selling the organisation in the interview

1. Find out what motivates the candidate and then emphasise how the organisation can meet their needs. For example, if a candidate is looking for career advancement, you can emphasise how the organisation offers opportunities for them to grow and develop.
2. Be mindful that candidates may feel uncomfortable in revealing certain information in an interview. Therefore reassure them that all information is private. Conversely be open and transparent as well. Inform them about policies, culture and team members. Be candid about the challenges facing the organisation and the future direction etc.
3. Caution: Don’t over exaggerate. Whist selling the organisation is essential do not over-exaggerate. Any false or misleading information will soon becomes apparent to the new hire. At best the new hire will quickly become disenchanted and feel they have been mislead. At worst the new hire will resign.
4. Allow the candidate the opportunity to ask questions.
5. At the end of the interview explain next steps and confirm when candidates can receive feedback. This will help manage their expectations after the interview.

Feedback

It is not uncommon for candidates to receive little or no feedback after the interview. This is incredibly frustrating for candidates. They will be only too happy to talk about their negative experience to anyone who will listen as they continue their job search. In my experience, most candidates are just relieved to get an honest answer. Admittedly giving feedback is tricky. Interviewers do not want to be confronted with a disgruntled or disappointed candidate. However wherever possible provide feedback. If handled well, feedback will leave a lasting and positive impression.

Step by step tips for providing feedback

1. Thank the candidate for their interest in your organisation.
2. Relate your feedback to the criteria of the job advertisement Avoid offering opinions which are subjective or not specific enough such as “You where unprofessional so you won’t fit into the team”.
3. Make the candidate feel at ease at the beginning of the discussion by telling them about the strengths they demonstrated. Then you can then move on to inform them on where they could develop further.
4. Be specific about how they can improve their interview technique for example they may have talked too much. This will help them in their future interviews.
5. Don’t burn any bridges. Wish the candidate well with their future endeavours. By simply treating them well, they will turn into ambassadors for your organisation.

Follow up and clarify

Keep in touch with the preferred candidate and deal with any concerns or issues.

The offer

There is pressure to close the “sale” as you want a quick answer from the candidate. However it is important to give the candidate sufficient time to consider the offer. Be available to discuss any questions they have that will assist them in making a decision.

When making an offer make the candidate feel special and wanted. They are more likely to accept if you have made them feel the organisation wants them rather than the other way round.

Summary

Gone are the days when organisations assume that the preferred candidate will accept your offer. Furthermore, today candidates are becoming more demanding and are not afraid to voice their opinions in many different forums. Therefore a professional, positive and well executed recruitment process will ensure your organisation is presented positively and will increase your chances of attracting good talent.

By Angela Godfrey

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Angela Godfrey and her business associate, Gabby Sken have been helping business leaders manage, motivate and optimise performance of their staff for over 20 years. They have gained experience as internal HR professionals predominately in financial services and have consulted to sectors such as education, telecommunications and professional services. Should you require HR consulting or coaching, please contact Angela Godfrey.

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