Don't leave candidates hanging...
Leaving applicants hanging is bad for business. Virgin Media found that poor candidate experiences were costing the company as much as $5 million a year, and one survey showed that over 40% of candidates said that if they don’t hear back from a company they’ll never apply to it again. No response is still a loud message, and it’s not the one you want to be sending. Although it can be time-consuming for hiring managers to narrow down their list of preferred candidates, a drawn-out process is detrimental as candidates lose interest in the role and accept other offers.
Hiring managers, HR Departments and Recruiters, if you have engaged a candidate for a position, especially in the case where they have been phone screened or interviewed, you owe them a follow up. Let the candidate know where they stand as soon as you can. They might not be a good fit now but they may be a fit for one of the next openings. Also, with a little more time and experience they be the perfect candidate down the road for your organization.
I can tell you in my experience in running a recruiting firm this is absolutely true. Recruiting and Hiring is absolutely a people business. News travels fast and bad news travels faster. Especially in today's world of social media. Of course that shouldn't be the only reason not leave qualified candidates in the lurch. Think of the long term and not the here and now. Lastly, it is so important to treat everyone with the same respect and empathy that you would expect from others.
David Dickey is the CEO of The Patriot Group, Inc. www.thepatriotsgrp.com
