How To Lose A Candidate In 10 Days (Part 4 – Finale)
Day 7 – You Crossed The Line
You’re building your network of friends on Facebook, so you sent a friend request to a candidate; which by the way included a lot of emojis! No big deal, right? You’re just trying to be nice, right? People shouldn’t be so serious all the time anyway, right? Wrong…blurring the line of personal and professional interaction, while considered indirect, crosses the line of professionalism.
79% of job seekers use social media in their job search. This figure increases to 86 percent of younger job seekers who are in the first 10 years of their careers.
We live in an increasingly casual and socially networked world. We sometimes feel too free to say things in through social media or electronic messaging that should likely not to be said verbally. But make no mistake, there is always a line between recruiter or hiring manager and candidate, and it should never be crossed. Don’t make jokes about relationship statuses or comment on a candidate’s attire, for example. Being nice is a good thing—but being overly friendly is not. What you might think is a gesture of good will could easily be misunderstood by a candidate and turn them away from the opportunity.
It’s critical to be appropriate and professional across all communication channels. Keep your social media posts and emails limited to a corporate voice that speaks on behalf of your employment brand—and not on your own behalf. Better yet, don’t communicate at all through non-professional channels. Keep it professional!
Day 8 – Arrogance Makes An Appearance
There are four candidates coming in for interviews today, and they are lined up with a bunch of pompous bigwigs who always make people wait (and sometimes make people cringe). Grab the popcorn. This should be interesting!
Today’s recruiting world must be marketing focused; where you must prove to candidates that you value them not only for the skills they provide, but as people. That’s actually part of the millennial mindset; they want their work to have meaning and purpose. Egotistical or ill-mannered interviewers will only sour the appeal by the candidate for your company.
38% of employers indicated that candidates are actually required to interview with a C-level executive at their company.
Candidates are interviewing your company as much as you are interviewing them. Remind your interviewers that there’s a reason candidates come in for interviews. They’ve jumped hurdles, committed their time and are strong possible matches. At the end of the day, you want everyone in the process to share perspectives to choose the best match. Ensure that you engage the interview team in advance. Remind each of them who is coming in and how a candidate fits the needs of the role, so they take the task seriously. You should remind them that every day without a key position filled is money and productivity lost.
Following the interviews, seek candidate feedback. If you learn that certain interviewers are repeatedly problematic, see if you can find a workaround that won’t irritate candidates or slight any managers. Maybe those interviewers would do better having their questions answered via video screen, for example.
Day 9 – You Didn’t Call Them Back
Another week, another set of interviews, another group of resumes, another list of emails. You’ll round up everyone’s notes and compile them over the next week. Hopefully there’s a good candidate or two in there. You’ll touch base with them at some point in the next few days, right? Everyone else will figure out they didn’t make the cut eventually, right? Candidates who are really interested won’t mind hanging tight for a while! Oh, but they won’t!
Candidates don’t want to be left hanging, EVER. They are likely interviewing for multiple positions, and they want to be proactive in the choice about where they work. Therefore, it is important to keep them updated. If you say you’ll call, then call. If you fill a position, notify candidates who didn’t get hired, so they know the opportunity has passed. And don’t let too much time lapse between initial contact and the next time you chat with an applicant. Even a passive job seeker will move on to other interviews if you’ve piqued their interest and then waited too long to act.
Day 10 – You Love Outdated Technology
Everyone’s talking about new ways to do things, and how you should be using this or that recruiting technology, but you’re all about tradition. You’re going to do things the way you’ve always done them. You like to think of your approach as “classic”.
45% of job seekers use their mobile devices to search for jobs at least once every day and 54% read company reviews from employees on their mobiles, while 52% research salary information.
Waiting for eternity to get a job approved or to contact a qualified applicant is not “classic”, no matter how traditional you are. It’s a waste of time, and it’s risky. In the days it takes you to complete your slow processes, a candidate could easily accept another offer from a competitor. Utilizing technology shows candidates that your company is not afraid of progress. Likewise, sticking with old systems sends the message that you can’t keep up with today’s world. Which image would you rather present? Remember you are wooing the next-generation workforce. You need to show them you are part of that generation, and willing to move forward alongside them.
So there you have it…the complete guide on How to Lose A Candidate in 10 Days! I don’t know about you, but in today’s lean labor market, shifts in generational expectations and use of technology I’d far prefer to old talent acquisition tactics. Great companies are attracting great people by doing great new things!
