Pressure to Adapt
Hi Recruiters,
“Fifty years ago, candidates knew they had to wait.
They expected bias.
They knew the numbers were not in their favor.
They almost never heard back.”
Anyone else get goosebumps? Those first four sentences come from Gerry Crispin ’s (my beloved friend and mentor) insightful opening remarks in the 2023 Global Candidate Experience (CandE) Benchmark Report, recently published by ERE. If you’re interested in a breakdown of the latest feedback on hiring processes from over 150 employers and 240,000 candidates, you should check it out.
Driving Progress
When I read Gerry’s words, I think of how way too many modern-day hiring experiences offer no reason for candidates to expect anything different.
I still hear of candidates waiting months (in some cases almost a year) before hearing back; of feeling discriminated against (whether by an individual or a system); or of feeling like they have no shot among thousands of other applicants.
The thing is — as Gerry and the research point out — candidates do have different expectations today. And unlike fifty years ago, the potential for a rejected, disgruntled job seeker to impact your bottom line is much greater.
Yet I believe the pressure from talent is driving a lot of progress. And while negative experiences can result in candidates trashing recruiters or employers online, positive experiences produce the inverse.
Do a quick search on LinkedIn for “positive hiring experiences,” and you’ll find plenty of evidence:
In one post, hiring manager Olga Sazonova, Ph.D. noted some recent feedback she received about the interview experience from a former hire: how she “really made [the candidate] feel respected and competent from the get-go and how unique it was among interviews with other companies.”?
Olga then goes on to talk about how she has always pushed for improved interview practices on every team she’s been a part of, believing the right interview process must be carefully and deliberately designed. In her words, “It has to balance the needs of the organization with the needs of the applicant.”
I give that approach a 10 out of 10.
In another post, recruiting manager Tony Peraza, MBA shared how a positive interview process played a big role in a new employee’s decision to accept an offer and celebrated how his team goes above and beyond to do “more than simply interviewing” — such as enjoying responding to follow up questions from candidates and reaching out proactively with status updates.
We love to see it.
I really enjoyed reading a post from cloud and IT services pro William (Bill) Peldzus , sharing with his followers about how wonderful it felt to do a video interview with a company that made him feel like his time was respected and that he got a “fair and honest chance.” He said, “Regardless of what happens going forward, I will hold this company in esteem.”
This really hits the nail on the head.
The proof is easy to find. Treat people well and they’ll return the good vibes.
领英推荐
Positive Signals
Of course, findings from the ERE report also illuminate a lot of positive signals. A few themes I noticed:
Consequences
In my view, we’ve come a long way. There’s a lot to be improved, but the recruiters and teams out there listening to candidates and adapting are reaping the rewards and will continue to do so.
If you need another reason to get your hiring practice up to snuff with modern candidate expectations, take it from Gerry’s closing words from the report on where we are today:
“Fewer quality candidates are willing to wait.
They expect you to manage your bias.
They know the numbers are moving in their favor to learn how to be more competitive.
If they never hear back, there will be consequences.”
What else is happening in hiring?
Kunwar's Korner
I could share some of our recent hireEZ content, but this is more important. Our beloved teammate Daniel Harten just introduced a baby girl into his family ??
He wrote an absolutely beautiful post detailing the power of community (and look how cute Myla is!!) If you have a moment, definitely show him some love and congratulations.
Until next time!
-Recruiters
Talent Acquisition Strategy | Continuous Improvement | Change Management | Employer Branding | Workforce Planning
11 个月Hi Shannon, like Gayle, I'm not going to admit how long I've been in TA. I have been looking for a role in TA since December and find it unfathomable that I have not received closure on many of the roles I applied for early on. I fully appreciate that many of the HR postings in the past several months have netted overwhelming interest/applications. However, even the most basic applicant tracking systems have a bulk email option that allows the recruiter to send a rejection notice to everyone not selected. Cold and impersonal, sure. Efficient, certainly. Necessary, absolutely. Based on my experience this go-around and reading similar comments from my fellow job-seeking TA colleagues, I've made it a personal and professional challenge to myself (and to my colleagues) to be better, to do better, and to encourage our new teammates to do the same. Candidate experience impacts employer brand; don't tarnish the brand. We have far superior technology from 50 years ago; we should act like it. Oh, and thank you for the opportunity to rant!
Life-long Student of Hiring
11 个月Closure in a reasonable & expected time frame set clearly by the employer for everyone who has expressed their interest in the job but who are not 'going forward' is a critical standard. Every recruiter should hold themselves as well as their peers and colleagues accountable for 100% closure as a baseline practice. To fail to do so is equivalent to failure as a recruiting professional regardless of any success in selecting and filling the position
Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant
11 个月As a TA Professional for many years than I care to admit, Ha! - It has been a very harrowing experience to be on the opposite side of the court, and to witness how employers generally do not have any respect for their hiring processes; especially where the candidate experience comes into play. In my opinion, quite disgraceful in many respects. I believe that many of these employers do not realize how incestuous this hiring/networking world can be, and lack of credibility travels far and wide. I've always 'tried to do my very best' to guide candidates through the hiring process as though it was me enduring this process - Be real, be human, and do whatever you can to make sure that their experience is one that you feel great about. Currently, I am on the other side of the court, while only applying to roles that I truly feel are a solid fit for me and the organization to not waste anyone's time....Needless to say, it is very discouraging. As they say, one foot in front of the other!
?? Talent Acquisition Leader ?? Talent Spotter, Team Builder, Full-Cycle Recruiting, Candidate Advocate, Financial Services Talent Search, DEIB ??Veteran ?? Ready to leverage my years of experience to help YOU join PwC!
11 个月Thank you for sharing Shannon! I really liked your comment, "The proof is easy to find. Treat people well and they’ll return the good vibes." People are out there treating people well, unfortunately, the voices that typically out the loudest are the voices of those people who unfortunately feel they were mistreated or discriminated against. Alone, it is hard to make big change, but if more and more people focus on treating people well, the outcomes will be more pleasant, despite the grind that the current hiring environment is.