A story in HRJob.ca 10 years ago comes back to my mind and this sentence in particular: “At one time or another everyone is a job applicant at least once in their life. This is always too easy to forget when you’re… too busy to work.”
Actually, it should have been written “too busy to hire!” The more things change, the more they stay the same. 10 years later, all the CRMs or other HR integration tools haven’t changed recruiters’ behaviour. We can always read this famous reference, which makes me angry and upset every time I read in an ad that “we only contact selected candidates”. It makes no sense to broadcast that the employer’s brand is essential and candidates must be treated as if they were customers, if the message is not getting through. It’s nice to see all these companies winning prizes and trophies but beyond being the competitors that they have become, to the great delight of HR marketing consulting firms, they are not “walking the talk”. The ordinary candidate is treated only as a number and if the recruiter deigns to answer it’s always the same tasteless, colourless, odourless automated response.
It’s certainly true that the work of a recruiter is thankless. Out of hundreds of candidates interested in the position, only a few dozen (when all goes well) will be the lucky winners to be invited to an interview. The others will get no reply (except for the luckiest) since “we only contact selected candidates”. These will often have to fight to follow up, get a little feedback and finally be told, weeks later, that their application has not been chosen… Better luck next time! No more detailed feedback, no empathy nor even the slightest trace of coaching or constructive criticism, even after 3 to 5 interviews with the company and psychometric tests that meant having to take a day off work.
Recruiters are too busy to recruit. It’s a fact and I have my part in mea culpa. It’s true that we can’t treat all candidates the same way and invest equal time with them, or we would never have a minute to accomplish the tasks entrusted to us or find new candidates (for external recruiters). There’s only 24 hours in a day and in our profession we can’t work at night, so we’re condemned to working between 7am and 9pm, since I can’t contact a candidate earlier or later to offer a job or discuss their interview performance. With 75 to 100 emails a day, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter messages as well as voicemails, incoming calls and the average 3 to 6 interviews (of about an hour each), to which is added following up with managers and writing reports and the administrative work related to hiring: you can do the math on the time remaining to manage priorities and deal with applicants that have not been selected…
Yet despite everything, the recruiter’s job is great, because properly executed it can not only be satisfying but extremely rewarding. Every time I hang up after explaining the reasons why an applicant was not chosen, getting the feeling that the applicant has not only understood but will make good use of it, I feel that I have accomplished something important and useful. It’s much easier to announce good news than the opposite but when done respectfully and with a real desire to help the person, this is where the work of a recruiter makes a difference. All applicants are not equal and they don’t all have the same ability to receive certain messages. Some don’t want to hear or take it in, but most appreciate the recruiter’s effort and transparency. It’s at just this time that all the HR marketing strategies and the employer’s brand fully make sense.
For younger inexperienced candidates seeking their first job or a summer job, it’s even worse. They open the door to a store displaying “Help Wanted”, submit their CV once, twice, call for news, then nothing. “Deafening silence” with the greatest indifference. Three weeks later the sign is still up, but still no news. Wrong number, better luck next time! I wonder, however, if all these employers needing recognition on social networks and eager to recruit qualified, loyal and motivated employees are asking whether their approach to hiring on the ground could damage their reputation. Applicants that pass by are also their customers… Wait for the day when they boycott the brand as a consumer and I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, demographics obliging!
Dear recruiter, take a few minutes this summer to personally answer your emails and messages. It’s an investment that you will not regret.
Nathalie Francisci, CHRP, ICD. D
Partner
ODGERS BERNDTSON
Global Leaders in Executive Search
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