Is your recruitment process slick, or does it lose you great candidates or even damage your brand?

As an employer here is what to do.

1. Write captivating and motivating advertisements about what you want
2. Respond to applications in a timely manner
3. Have an objective set of criteria from which to shortlist
4. Keep the interview process down to a maximum of 4 weeks
5. Ask relevant questions during the interview
6. Give feedback during the application process
7. Make sure to not ask biased questions or make assumptions based on gender, age, nationality etc
8. Prepare for the interview
9. Offer a salary that is on par or higher than advertised
10. Understand what is important to the applicant

Career Arc surveyed 1200 people, if you are involved in recruitment, here are some results you need to be aware of:

• Nearly 60% of candidates have had a poor candidate experience.
• 72% of those candidates have shared their bad experience online or with someone directly.
• 60% of employers have read at least one piece of online negative feedback about their applicant process.
• Candidates who are NOT informed of the status or decision of their application are 3.5x less likely to re-apply to that company that declined them.

One of our clients just lost a candidate after three interviews; the reason – it took too long and the candidate knew there was one other hurdle still to jump, in the meantime another company interviewed the person twice, made an offer and got a contract out and signed all in 10 days. The irony is that the candidate preferred the other role, but it was taking too long and there was no guarantee of success!!

Another hard to find engineering candidate, had two interviews with a client over a protracted period of time. It was mutual appreciation – for the role and the candidates skills. Despite the process dragging out longer than it should, the candidate was still very keen until the hiring organisation offered him $10k less than he was currently on. Needless to say, they lost the candidate. The candidate was so disappointed. Not only has the organisation lost a good candidate, they also damaged their brand.

Maybe it’s time you did an audit of your recruitment processes or had a fresh pair of eyes provide you with a diagnostic and recommendation on ways to improve your attraction & recruitment process. If you need any help, contact us, we have a terrific diagnostic process.

My first year classes were full of passionate, altruistic people looking to establish a career protecting the oceans wildlife. We all wanted to save the whales and the turtles!

As our university careers progressed, the commercial realities of our chosen career paths started to sink in. There is no (or very, very little) income to be made in protecting wildlife. Period.
The majority of qualified marine biologists do not work in their profession. The ones that do are in aquaculture (the rearing of aquatic animals or the cultivation of aquatic plants for human consumption), or R&D – whether this be searching for a cure for cancer or the new ‘Viagra’. This is not what they set out to do. Alas, with time, ideals fade and economic necessity takes over.

I work in Recruitment and Search because I am truly passionate about, and love this industry. It’s a positive industry; but constantly battling a barrage of negative publicity. Let me explain.

Recruitment is positive! In essence, we assist companies drive forward by helping them find select talent to take them to the next level. Alternatively we are also helping individuals take the next step in their career; usually with higher salary and more fulfilling challenges than their previous role. Win-win!

So why the bad publicity?

Again, sometimes economic necessity takes over, right? Well, it shouldn’t! Economic or other stresses and pressure should not jeopardise the standards of the service we provide to our clients and candidates. These are simple staples of our industry:

• Speak the truth, and offer transparency around your process.
• Keep open lines of communication. People need to be informed and kept up to date.
• Maintain your empathy. Filling a role is not just a statistic and a commission. These are people with goals, ambitions, families and mortgages. If they are unsuccessful, they don’t need your pity, but they do expect and should receive your professionalism.
• Build quality relationships with your clients and your candidates. These people will truly value your relationship, your knowledge and professional courtesy. Given the opportunity, these people will want to help you also.

The recruitment industry changes dramatically between quiet and busy times but we, as recruiters, should not. There is no excuse for sending unsolicited CV’s to companies. The candidates don’t want that, and neither do the clients. This is without a doubt the fastest way to burn reputations for all parties – especially yours! This however, does not mean you can’t float. Floating a good quality candidate to a client when you have relationships on both sides, and permission to do so is a completely different scenario.

So what has Marine Biology taught me about recruitment?

Always stay true to your core beliefs and values, and don’t sell out for sight of making a quick gain. No matter how many of those around you do.