In previous articles we showed that the candidates continue to experience a 'black hole' from the recruitment industry due mainly to the facts that recruitment is mainly transactional (as opposed to being based on relationships) and to advancements in technology (both for posting jobs and finding jobs). In this artilcle we suggest 3 tips that can help recruiters improve the experience for candidates, and keep them out of the black hole and recruitment spiral.
- Communicate with Candidates Every Step of the Way. This is something that we've mentioned before, but is certainly one of the most difficult to do as recruiters and employers are flooded with resumes for each open position. But, communication is something that candidates value, and they prefer it to be by phone or by email. If someone is no longer being considered, let them know. If someone is, take the time to answer any questions they have. Doing that could let you find that perfect fit much more quickly and easily.
- Work on the Job Description. If you're not able to find the perfect candidate, it could be because your job description isn't written in a way to attract the candidates you want. If you're just listing qualifications and job duties, that doesn't provide candidates with information to know whether or not they'd be a good fit. Meaning, you will only get candidates who are a good fit. This leaves you widening the information gap and only adding to the black hole and recruitment. In a future post, we'll go over some tips and tricks to writing a good job description.
- Develop Talent Markers. Qualifications such as 'years of experience' and requiring people who are 'hard-working' and 'goal-oriented' just don't tell you a lot about the candidate. Developing talent markers will really figure out if a candidate has what it takes to do the job. For example, asking how many HVAC repairs the person has done, or how many sales they made, says a lot more than their years of experience, and makes a good talent marker for such positions.
The black hole and recruitment; there's no secret to its existence, but the secret to solving the problem doesn't have to remain so. Hopefully, these three tips can help you to better manage the candidate experience and keep them out of that big black hole and recruitment.
Additional Resources
The above article is basd on a live roundtable discussion hosted by the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association and lead by Matt Schreyer, co-founder on Instigate Inc. Listen to the full discussion now!
