Recruitment strategy: The importance of staying connected with candidates

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Recruitment strategy: The importance of staying connected with candidates

Published on 16 Oct 2014

Caitlyn Smith

The mere thought of attending an interview or (even worse) having to resign, can send cold shivers up most people's spines. As recruiters, we deal with this on a daily basis and, as part of our recruitment strategy, we will do our best to 'hold candidates' hands' during this stressful time. We ask the right questions, and brief them to the best of our abilities, before 'issues' become stumbling blocks on their career paths.

It is our responsibility, and in our best interests, to take extreme care when guiding our candidates through the interview and resignation process. Fellow recruiters: you have seen this stress on many occasions:

Our candidates become a ball of nerves, and
Start second guessing their original reasons for wanting to resign.

We know the impact that this can have on the chances of our candidate being successful during the interview process. Unfortunately, we do not get to sit with them during interviews to prompt them with the 'right' answers. It happens quite frequently that a candidate interviews brilliantly with us but then the wheels fall off when we are not there.

We need to get more involved with our candidates

We need to be that rock for them during the interview stages and during their notice period. We know what our clients need and what type of skill (and personality) they are looking to hire. This means that you need to coach your candidates accordingly.

It's natural for the nerves and sweaty palms to kick in for your candidates because this can be an emotional and stressful process for them. Manage the situation from the outset. Communication is key so give your candidates as much information as possible about the company they are interviewing at and also the sort of person that is interviewing them. Remember: the onus is also on them to go and do as much 'homework' on the company as possible.

After the interview process, it is really important that you support and comfort the candidate no matter what the outcome is. Make sure that you give them feedback, even if it is negative. It is such a common complaint from candidates that they went for an interview and never heard how they did. This is shocking and gives our industry a bad name.

Challenges that candidates may face during the interview process include:

Counter offers: This is more common than we think. Companies who know they have a rare skill, and a good employee, will potentially put up a fight to not let them go.
Negativity: Companies sometimes find it difficult to let an employee go, which could mean that the environment that your candidate is left in, during their notice period, could be uncomfortable and will put your candidate under even more pressure.
Doubt and fear: There might be a situation where your candidate has been in a comfort zone for a long time so they could potentially start to rethink their decision to leave. This could be down to peer/colleague pressure too.
Alternative offers: If your candidate has been active on the market, and has been attending other interviews, they could potentially be faced with having to decide which offer is best for them.

It's up to us to provide guidance to candidates. Stay in communication with them. Remind them of why they were originally on the market and that their opportunity for further career growth is merely a notice period away.

Caitlyn Smith is a talent acquisition specialist at Its About People. With a passion for making a difference in people's lives, she chose a career in the recruitment environment. Caitlyn describes herself as a people person and believes that this has assisted her in making a difference in the lives of both her clients and candidates. She says that becoming involved in recruitment has been an amazing experience and has made a profound difference in her own life. Caitlyn loves helping her clients and candidates achieve their business objectives, and describes recruitment as something that gives her an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

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