In my first post, I listed the candidate experience as one
of the things that should be important to a Recruiter. This last week I had two
examples of how this "Candidate Experience",
at its basic element, is about being customer focused and your ability to build
relationships - even if only for a week.
Case One: I referred my friend (let’s call him Ted
for purposes of privacy) to a job posting by a professional acquaintance (Tiffany). Tiffany connects with Ted to discuss
the details of the position and they move forward having Tiffany represent Ted
for the role. During this process, Tiffany questions Ted’s integrity in his transparency of
salary requirements. Ted takes offense because his integrity has never been questioned.
In fact he is so adamant to prove his integrity, he is willing to prove himself through W2's and check stubs. While this is sometimes just part of the process; Tiffany back tracks realizing her delivery was poor and that she upset her candidate. Ted feels Tiffany does not have his best interest in mind, so he
backs out of the process to interview for this job. Talk about LOSE/LOSE situation that could have been avoided!
Here’s the thing… if the recruiter had the candidates best
interest in mind, as well as, her clients – she would not have approached the
candidate in a way that was accusatory. If I were put in the same predicament as Tiffany, I would have asked the questions necessary for the client but also given the candidate the benefit of the doubt.
Suggestion: Emotional Intelligence is something that can be
developed and it would have helped the recruiter with her delivery and her
ability to understand her audience. Any business professional (HR or otherwise)
should be developing their EQ quotient as it is a proven key indicator of success and
even more so when your profession is with people! Daniel Goldman is a thought
leader on this subject; you can follow him on LinkedIn!
Case Two: An old colleague (from a previous job) reached out to
me. I maybe had 3 total interactions with him in 4 years, so it was a surprise
to hear from him. He was looking for direction on his job search. I asked him, "why me"? He
said that all his past experiences with me were positive and he considered
me trustworthy even though we were just barely acquainted. I was
flattered to be chosen and happy to give him the direction he needed. I helped him narrow
down the type of job he was looking for and the job titles he needed to search for. It felt good to give back - it was like chicken soup for my recruiter soul!
Here’s the thing….We should always treat the
people we interact with respectfully and with a customer focus; no matter what
their role or level. People remember when they have positive experiences and
they are willing to be your internal and/or professional advocate. A sense of
community is a huge advantage to a recruiter!
Suggestion: Give back what you know to others. You never know
when that very person is helping you out in return. Karma is a beautiful thing!
In my opinion, The Candidate Experience is about being
positive, helpful and focused on your customers’ satisfaction. In a Recruiters life, the customer is the hiring manager, the candidates (all in the pipeline) and the support professionals (inside your organization) that provide you the ability to successfully onboard a new hire.
Look… I know we recruiters
have large workloads and the whole life balance struggle.
However, I think the candidate experience also provides good recruiter karma! It not only proves your organization cares about your hire, but it helps before the hire with offer closing, networking/employee referrals and even helping an old colleague find a
job. There is a great blog post on Smashfly about Candidate Experience, if your interested in a deeper dive, rather than my mumblings!
What examples do you have of The Candidate Experience
either making or breaking the deal?
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