How can you be transparent with job candidates?

One of the most valuable ways to be transparent with job candidates is to provide constructive feedback and to communicate clearly your expectations from him if he took this role. Also, be transparent and honest regarding the title and career path and any benefits he/she will get. Always remember that there is more beyond this CV!

I always try to think like the candidate - what would I need to know to confidently proceed through this process? First things first, align on the skills needed to be successful and interview process! If you havent shared the process on your career site already, this is a chance to align your candidates to your process. Set clear expectations on what is expected and the time they will need to spend to be successful. Remember, we are not in the game of playing tricks on candidates so share as much as you can. Last but not least, share all of the WIFM's (Whats in it for me)? Align on role compensation, growth path, perks/benefits, culture, future skills learned, and examples of impact. The more you share, the more you stay aligned.

A recruitment process shrouded in mystery and secrets will not work. Be open and honest at every stage with all the stakeholders.

I find that transparency is honesty, being real and upfront goes a long way. Nothing is perfect so i never shy away from discussing the cons or negatives openly. By confidently discussing the good and the not so good we validate our intentions and our integrity to your candidates. No reason to hold anything back from our candidates or make them wander around in the dark. And,if we have forgotten how important the Golden Rule is, I hope this last year has taught us to treat candidates like we want to be treated....period.

Depending on if the role is entry level, Sr. level role or a technical skilled trade role. You walk through the requirements with the candidate and have their resume pulled up as well. I then dive in deeper on certain skill sets, where they used these skill sets and in which industry. I Transparently ALWAYS tell candidates the comp range on the role and what we are targeting. So no one is wasting their time, energy or resources. I talk about the benefits, culture, what the team is like and what they are looking for in someone to be successful in this role. I explain the timeline on the role and how the 2-3 levels of interviews are usually run.

Give updates on Fridays so candidates don't have to wonder all weekend what their status is. Communicate as often and in the manner in which YOU would wish to be communicated with, if you were in their shoes.

At the end of every initial interview I empower candidates to reach out to me. I tell them you should hear from me by x day. If you don’t heard from me by then please send me an email and I will let you know where we are in the process. Not only does this give candidates some control over the process but it also removes the pressure of neglecting to update a given candidate should we encounter unexpected delays in the hiring process

Candidates don't tend to get upset because you have over-communicated. If you have no update or you hit a delay, then a quick message letting them know that, and when they will hear from you next is always worth while.

Transparent and constant communication is the secret sauce in talent acquisition. Keeping it real with candidates from the very first conversation builds trust and paves the way for lasting connections. In our world, it's all about being open and honest – the key to becoming a go-to recruiter. Always sharing feedback and updates on a timely manner is the key.

Just be honest and follow up with candidates - even if the follow up is "I don't have an update." It takes very little time and will build employment brand loyalty.

While communicating with the candidate, go ahead and share the challenges that come with the job - be it the salary constraints, or even if it is onsite or hybrid. If the role needs more travel or anything else that the candidate needs to know. Discussing it at this stage will be appreciated and will help the candidate make an informed decision. It will definitely help save time and efforts for all the parties involved in the process.

Transparency isn't just a buzzword, it's key in recruiting. Lay it out — market's rough, budgets tighter than a hipster's skinny jeans, processes as slow as molasses, and the org's shifting like tectonic plates. Why? Authenticity, baby. It shows you're real, humble, and tough as nails. Plus, it sets the stage for a two-way street. Invite candidates to spill their guts about their own battles. It’s like a first date - honesty can spark a beautiful, mutually beneficial relationship. Keep it real, keep it raw.

As a Recruiter who likes to move fast, there are often many things outside of my control. Hiring processes can be held up for a number of different reasons, including budget restrictions, out-of-office time, a lengthier interview process..etc. Sometimes the "no-update" update can be the toughest message to share with candidates but the most appreciated. When I'm transparent with candidates on where we are at, I manage expectations and maintain a connection through a process.

Roles consistently get put on hold, canceled, or opened back up. The job market is like the ocean, were just riding the wave. I communicate certain struggles we have and let the candidates know, they are looking for someone who has heavy experience in XX & XX skill sets. I end it with your experience at XX company, doing XX role, is why I think you'd do great in this role.

At the end of each initial phone screening with candidates, I like to inform them that while we usually prefer to have feedback within a certain time frame, it may not always be possible. However, in case they do not receive any update within X number of days, they can give me a call, and I will look into the status of their application and ensure that they receive a definite answer on whether they will move forward for the interview or not.

This is extremely important in passive sourcing activities. We will often look at talent at companies where our most successful employees have worked! It's hard not to reach out internally to get feedback, but we don't. We first vet the prospects experience, interest and career aspirations. Then we ask them if they know any of our employees and share who we think they may know. We then get permission to talk to our employees about them. This level of respect and confidentiality is critical to the hiring process.

I see this as a major reason most candidates don't reply or take recruiters seriously. Before submitting candidates' details for any opening I always reach out. Oh, are you still open for a new role as discussed the last time? I saw you're open for a new role based on your profile, I have a role that you might be interested in. Just send that message first and let them know what you're up to.

Confidentiality is so important in Recruitment. I know for a fact there are agencies out there who will tarnish a candidates reputation by sending them everywhere WITHOUT telling them. This is very poor practice, and candidate need to work with respectable, trustworthy recruiters, as they are essentially putting their careers in our hands. You must get a consent email for every client we send you to, and if you don’t receive anything - don’t work with that agency, as they will be screwing you over in the background.

I recently added a question to my scheduling tool that asks candidates "How do you prefer to receive updates about the status of your application?" with the option of an email or phone call. This respects candidate's privacy in the process and I refer back to their response to give them control over how they receive updates. Some candidates prefer to process updates about their application status privately after receiving an email, while others may want the opportunity for a conversation and to ask for feedback.

Before I submit a candidate to any hiring manager I send the req to the candidate first. Is this a role they want to pursue. If the candidate doesn't want to look at a role, there is not point even if the hiring manager is interested.

One step often overlooked when you make a selection is letting your choice know specifically why they were chosen over other candidates. This helps them understand which of their strengths you value the most and gives them a boost of confidence to power them through any imposter syndrome effects they are likely to experience at the onset.

Years ago, it was taboo to share many details about why someone was being rejected as everyone was afraid of being sued if they said they wrong thing. Times are changing and it's important to give job related context to the rejection. It may be that you hired someone with more experience in a certain skill, it may be an issue of their availability to start, or perhaps it's a misalignment around compensation. For anyone that you interviewed, provide context on the rejection as much as possible. They may not agree, some will argue, and you can't please everyone. It's still important to do.

It's crucial to extend this candor to the discussion of compensation and other requirements. Just as candidates benefit from understanding their performance, they also gain immensely from comprehending how their expectations align with market standards. By elucidating how a compensation is determined and where expectations sit in relation to the market, we can demystify what often seems like a complex, opaque process. When candidates are provided reasons behind a offer, they're less likely to feel overlooked. To truly champion transparency in the hiring process, it's imperative to not stop at feedback about performance alone. A conversation about all prerequisites sets the tone for an honest, trusting relationship right from the start.

Transparency, honest answers in a timely manner, and constructive feedback are 3 crucial things for candidates and their experience with the company. Even though we receive many applications and talk with many candidates daily, they all deserve feedback and our thoughts about their areas of growth for future development. Personalized feedback is a step further and, in my opinion, recruiters should be transparent by the end of the selection process and invest time in each candidate equally (especially if you talked to someone who just started their career). Show them they are seen, motivate them, and leave open doors for future collaboration.

We recruiters owe the feedback to the candidates. It is our primary responsibility to seek feedback from the interview panel in detail and update the candidate with constructive feedback. If the candidate is rejected in the interview, the feedback will help the candidates in their future interviews, they can upskill themselves and be ready for a great job ahead. If the candidate is shortlisted in the interview, feedback would certainly help them to understand a few areas of improvement and they can prep for the job.

Fairness is key to scaling a high hiring bar. Evidence-based decisions + structured, facilitated hiring decision meetings + bias-checks, and of course foundational things like well defined hiring criteria and assigned (specific) focus areas for each interviewer lead to more speed, more quality, and more diversity. Recruiters sometimes don’t play much of a role mid-funnel, but the best - the true talent advisors - work hard to ensure candidates have a fair shot and the interviewing team and hiring manager make a quality hiring decision.

One thing I've done over the years, is to push my hiring managers to compare the candidate against the qualifications rather than another candidate. If you search long enough you'll probably find someone better, but that's creating more hurdles and biases. By comparing the candidate against the role/job we reduce the biases from comparing them against other people.

This is particularly important with the agency recruiters, they are mostly hiring to fill the positions with the right skills and competencies - without knowing the culture and other inside information that they need not just to know but to feel or experience first hand, unfortunately they will not have that because they are working for an agency and not within the clients premises. The sad part is they will push the candidate to be introduced without considering the culture fit and overall qualifications other than just the obvious hard skills. It’s very important to know and be transparent with the other criteria’s that both the clients and candidates are looking for and make them aware what they are getting into.

Interview scorecards are a crucial tool in a "fair and consistent" hiring process. They provide a consistent standard for evaluating every candidate, ensuring that assessments are objective. Adding unconscious bias training for recruiters, interviewers and hiring managers is a significant step towards a fairer hiring process. It equips the hiring team with the necessary tools to recognise and overcome their unconscious biases. Considering name-blind recruitment also enhances fairness, ensuring that evaluations are based solely on skills and abilities, rather than personal identifiers.

Process and systems. Use systems to organize your work, and the work of your hiring managers to ensure that tasks are done consistently and efficiently. Process is the same each time and supported by the systems. This ensures that you are able to be up front with individuals you are interviewing about the process and timelines involved.

In short: if you manage expectations upfront you will not disappoint anyone. Sure, people will not be happy if they got rejected but if you manage expectations and are brutally honest, it’s likely that they will stay engaged with your company as customer or candidate.

Candidates should always be treated with respect and transparency. Throughout my career, as a recruiter, I have taken time to get to know my candidates, partner with them and provide feedback. This is the only way people will grow and be well prepared for any interview that comes their way.

Being transparent with job candidates? It's simple, but not easy. Cut the corporate jargon. Be clear about the role, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Show them where they fit in the grand chessboard of your organization. Salary? Don't play coy. Be upfront about compensation and growth prospects. Culture? Don’t just parade the perks; expose them to the real daily grind. Remember, in the war for talent, honesty isn't just the best policy, it's your only weapon.

Do you have specific notes / background that you can share outside of just the job description or what can be found on the company website? Have you asked your Hiring Manager about specifics they do for their team, culture they have built, upcoming projects, etc. that can be discussed so that a potential hire knows what they are getting themselves into before they join? When there is smoke & mirrors in a Hiring Process, new hires tend to not appreciate it, which leads to them being unhappy & more apt to leave… which doesn’t make anyone look good. Be transparent, be honest. Share what you can when you are able to. This is the way.