Sometimes it feels like it’s always you versus them, when it comes to the recruitment process. But that’s not the case!
Remember that just as much as you want to find a job that’s a perfect fit for your life, recruiters are looking to find the perfect fit for a new member of their team. With both your interests laying in the same direction, it’s easy to shift your perspective to how they’re trying to work with you to fill their worker gaps.
There are different types of recruiters. Some are employees of the company itself, typically from HR or management; others are outside consultants. Those consultants can be freelancers, like headhunters, or part of a firm that specializes in employment services (like ours!), but all of them share the same goal of filling an employment vacancy as quickly and correctly as possible.
Some recruiters even go above and beyond when it comes to encouraging you to put your best foot forward. In this article, we’ll hear from some expert recruiters about what they do to pave the way to mutual success!
Transparency And Trust
Chris Murdock
Senior Partner and Co-Founder at IQTalent Partners
“Recruiters need to be transparent about the process and where the candidate fits into the process. They also need to level expectations for the candidate.”
Set Encompassing Expectations
Allan Leung
Lead Talent Acquisition Advisor
“Recruiters can guide candidates by informing them of what the next steps are and the anticipated timeframe of when they’ll hear back. Offering candidates the opportunity to ask any follow up questions as well is helpful. If candidates are meeting with hiring managers, recruiters can share some tips in preparation for the interviews.”
Give Them A Voice
Darain Faraz
Careers Expert, LinkedIn
“Recruiters can be the light in the dark for candidates that need help finding their next job. They have exceptional market knowledge, access to hundreds of jobs and hiring tools, and can save job seekers time and energy. They can also provide expert advice and guidance on tap and for free. Providing simple but effective tips, for example how to build a CV from start to finish to secure that all-important interview, can provide a world of difference to a candidate struggling to make themselves heard”
Get to Know You As A Person
Jo Cresswell
Corporate Communications Manager, Glassdoor
“Recruiters should get to know candidates and understand what they’re looking for in their next role, both in terms of personal and professional growth. As well as their abilities and past experience, understanding a candidate’s wider ambitions will help recruiters identify companies which will be a cultural fit for candidates which will help during the wider hiring process. Recruiters can also significantly improve overall candidate experience if they maintain good communications with candidates, keeping them updated and providing feedback in a timely manner.”
Coaching And Comfort
Ben Martinez
Principal Founder, Ramp Talent
“Make them feel at ease. Act as a coach between the candidate and the hiring team.”
Keep Things In Balance
Rebecca Fraser
Digital Experience and Learning Manager
“Recruiting is time consuming and challenging as you are normally dealing with a lot of roles and a lot of different stakeholders. Recruiters can help more by being clear in what they are seeking however sometimes it is a juggling act of meeting the needs of the employer or hiring manager and the availability on the market.”
Keep In Communication
Paul Wolfe
Indeed Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources
“Recruiters should continue to keep the lines of communication open throughout the entire hiring process with a candidate. It is important for the candidate to be kept up-to-date with any progress that has been made in the company’s decision making process for the role along the way. Often, we hear about a communication “black hole” issue with candidates and hiring managers alike. With today’s job market, many employers are improving their “candidate experience” to stay top-of-mind against their competitors. Staying in constant contact with the candidate throughout the hiring process is a great way to ensure your candidate experience is pleasant for the job seeker.”
Forget The Fee
Lysha Holmes
Recruiter of Recruiters, Qui Recruitment
“Recruiters should be guiding candidates throughout the entire process from start until they walk through the door! Timely feedback, prep to both the candidate and client, Honesty throughout ensuring that the opportunity IS their right one. Supporting them through their various stages- sounding board for their thoughts- remain impartial and forget about the fee! If it is meant to happen you will get your fee so take that out of the equation! And every step of the package negotiation, holding their hand throughout their resignation and notice. Whatever the candidate needs from you!”
Leverage Technology
Jeff Berger
CEO and Founder, Talent Inc
“The clearer expectations the recruiters can set ‒ about the job requirements and the company’s hiring process ‒ the better. Communication is the key to creating a positive candidate experience and thanks to advances in recruitment technology, it’s becoming easier and less costly to keep candidates informed throughout the process via chatbots and other enhancements to employers’ existing applicant tracking systems.”
The Human Approach
Kerri-Ann Hargreaves
Director, H2 Consultancy
“Quite simply, let’s do our job. Go above and beyond. Have honest conversations. Provide feedback and keep in touch. Build relationships. Take a human approach.”
At the end of the day, we all do better when we work together: applicants, recruiters, and companies. No matter which one you are, keep going above and beyond to see just how high you can reach!